I’m in NYC this week. Apparently there is such a thing as bringing the weather with you because every day has been sunnier and lovelier than the last. Which I genuinely appreciate ‘cause I’m very big in Jersey this week and have a bit of traveling to do. Monday I was the closing keynote for the New Jersey Aging Life Conference in Windsor. Tomorrow I head to Merck to emcee their 40th Anniversary of Diversity Awards in Rahway, New Jersey, their home since 1891.
In prepping for the Aging Life Conference, I never would have thought it would be the scene of one of the funniest experiences I’ve had as a comedian!
The program that day was centered on education for senior care managers and administrators. There was a death doula, a neurologist and drum roll please, a burial expert. None of this sounds very funny and it wasn’t. With the exception of burial expert Elizabeth Green a.k.a. The Green Reaper. Pictured above was her first slide. It’s the P.O.V. of a dead person inside a natural grave.
The photo above was the opening of a highly detailed and honestly highly informative forty five minutes on what to do with a dead body.
Green’s lecture went from the above image into a detailed history of burials from the beginning of time. She shared the options for burying a body in your back yard, closing her talk by defining human compositing including a type that’s done under water.
Despite my impulse to giggle nervously waiting in the wings, these are real options for people who want a DIY death. For the underground one, where the body is simply wrapped in a cotton cloth, Green’s passion for having the “juicy parts” of who we are mix with the soil was palpable. Anxiety had its way with me here and I had to stop myself from laughing like a seventh grader in a sex ed class. My mind flashed to leaving the comedy clubs behind because I couldn’t take following an inexhaustible string of d*ck jokes. I guess I didn’t anticipate this challenge!
Fortunately the crowd was primed for some comic relief. I quickly had everyone stand up, shaking out their very much alive bodies, being a little silly and laughing together. Armed with new death information, we were present, connected and ready for a few comedy tools to find some laughter while we’re all still above ground.
On the train back to NYC I texted friends about my dire plight in that room, but all they wanted to know were the details about how to execute an eco-friendly and economical natural death! Apparently I am behind the curve on this! Which is why I’m sharing Elizabeth’s info here.. Elizabeth Fornier, funeral director and author of the book, The Green Burial Guidebook, a comprehensive resource for all non-traditional burials. She calls herself as The Green Reaper. Love her for this.
And there’s more! I’ve invited Elizabeth for a pre-Halloween conversation on October 30th at 1 pm PST. Who better to frighten and then inspire us with embalming details, stories of bodies strapped to the tops of cars and compelling tales of families who honored their values and those of their loved ones for the last time?
