Upbeat Conversation in Silver City
A write up of Silver City Death Cafe
The Silver City Death Cafe was held at Javalina Coffee House with four participants in addition to facilitator Gail Rubin with A Good Goodbye. We all fit around one big round table, with plenty of elbow room.
The conversation was generally upbeat. We marveled at the sacred space that surrounds both birth and death, entering and exiting this world. We shared stories of messages of comfort and visions of loved ones who left this physical world old and worn out appearing as young and vital.
There were stories of those who experienced unexpected deaths, and how the loss impacted the storytellers. Both received messages from beyond this world "clear as a bell" that were kind, loving and uplifting.
We discussed rituals, bells, prayer flags, candle lighting and Day of the Dead altars.
Quality of life issues came up, and ADLs, Activities of Daily Living, the hallmarks of how well one is able to care for oneself. They are: eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring and continence.
Baby boomers seem to strongly agree that they want the control and choice to opt out of life if they get to a point where living is a serious physical or mental challenge.
I provided names of books and organizations that participants would find helpful. One participant suggested making them a standard handout for future Death Cafes.