Grave Matters

An old coworker of mine, Sue Bailey, and her friend, Carmen Flowers, found themselves in the morbid predicament that many of us are likely to find ourselves in as we age; they were attending more and more funerals of friends and loved ones. Sadder still was that these events, rather than being celebrations of the person's life, were instead morose occasions of loss and pain. The women came to the realization that many people do not plan for the inevitable, and that by doing so, and having an idea of what you want your funeral to be you can also relieve some of the burden from those you love.

So the ladies decided to write a book, "Grave Expectations: Planning the End Like There's No Tomorrow," meant to be a discussion starter, planning tool and all-around irreverent approach to the end of life. They mention various options from the practical to the downright ghoulish for what to do with your remains (Verdantic would be pleased to note that they talk about green funerals). Last week Bailey and Flowers appeared on The Today Show in a segment with Meredith Vieira to talk about the book and some of the topics they cover.

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In terms of entertainment, I know this subject might be a bit of a stretch, but I agree with the authors - why not spend at least half as much time planning your funeral as you would in, say, planning your wedding? A lot of the same people will be there, having the same conversation about how bad the food is.