Kathleen, starts a dialogue with whom appears to be an interesting, intelligent classmate. We are in the almost empty computer room. Roxanne is surfing the net and Kathleen sneaks up. Awkwardly, not wanting to hinder the pace of discovery, Kathleen blurts out, “Tell me why you are here at St Louis?”
Roxanne still searching, laughs “upgrades”
I am curious, “What do you want to study in college or university?”
Roxanne fiddles more with the keyboard, looks up at me briefly and blurts out, “There is a one year course for only $8000 to become a licensed undertaker.”
Intrigued, “Is it working with grieving families or is it the ritualized body disposal?”
Roxanne honest in her reply, “I know I can make a good living and the course is only a year long.”
Being a big fan of the HBO series, Six Feet Under I ask her if she watched the show, she replied she had only seen 2 episodes. “So have you wanted to be a mortician for a long time?”
Roxanne shifts her lanky body and tells me, “My aunt died and I was impressed with how the funeral home handled it. I was more impressed to find out the average funeral in Canada cost $10,000 and since every one dies, I could make a good, steady income.”
I am excited, as I have always been interested in the ‘Celebration of Life’ parties that have become popular when someone’s time is near and they get to say goodbye before the inevitable passing. I have often been the life of the party at viewings and funerals. Of course its because I carry around grief remedies in my pockets, that people hug me. Trying to be non-chalant, “I’m curious that now we live in a digital culture why we don’t see more multi- media presentations of filmed goodbyes, of grandma singing her favorite hymn, of people taking their iPods into the home, hospice or hospital and have grandpa saying his goodbyes to individuals and having it broadcast on a flat screen at the funeral home complete with soundtrack. Maybe a PowerPoint presentation with wedding and family photos instead of the 2 dimensional Bristol board with snaps shots. We could all be joining in with their favorite songs and stories, a modern Mitch Miller experience that young and old would appreciate.”
“Good idea, maybe I’ll steal it” she seemed sincere.
I have had thoughts of a psychedelic retirement/hospice with nostalgic music, movies, gardens, wandering troubadours and petting zoo. An experiential and non-corporate view of death with medicinal marijuana and alternative to morphine therapies, after all they are dying. Maybe even a Morton Funeral Service, where ‘we put the FUN in funerals’ could be successful for those popular end- of life-celebratory parties. “I had thought of funeral director, as a career but I am opposed to all the chemicals. Now we have great refrigeration, I guess we could do without the embalming, and have greener funerals. My sister and I visited a friend in Minden last summer and it was hot, so we went swimming in a lovely lake. We were surprised it was so deserted. My friend told us it was because the locals found out there was formaldehyde runoff from the hillside cemetery. I guess the solution to pollution really is dilution.”
No comments:
Post a Comment