I am not wishing for death, as my post title might imply. Au contraire. But that messenger will come for each of us one day, and we've probably all thought about what will happen to "this earthly vessel" when the spirit leaves it.
My dream, when I die, is to be buried naked directly in the ground, my body curled comfortably, wrapped close in the arms of mother earth. No formaldehyde, no coffin. No slow dessication in a needlessly comfortable box. Nor the crematorium with its blazing efficiency. Not for me. I want to be packed into the ground, covered and comforted by an earthen blanket. My body will mix and meld to become peat, fertilizer, mulch, a meal.
Dust to dust.
Creative nonfiction writings and ruminations of a Family Physician. Much of this will be medical musing, patient and doctor stories, but I reserve the right to wander. Please feel free to add your comments and experiences!
About Me
- Peg Spencer
- Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
- Having been a clinic doc for twenty years, I've reached a point where I want to enrich my life and expand my skill horizons. Hence my creative writing efforts. So far successes include first place in the 2005 SouthWest Writer's Essay contest, co-authorship of a published book called 50 Ways to Leave Your 40s, and a regular health column in the Daily Lobo Newspaper.
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6 comments:
Shitsky...why are you thinking like this? Now you've got me thinking about my death wish...no ground for me, a quick and neat, super-hot fire to hasten up the process of turning to dust is what I want. (Life long fear of bugs..ick)
Then I would love to have my ashes placed in a crystal ashtray on my kids' mantels...(kidding about the mantel part!)
I guess you have to hope not to die in the US then. Burial straight into the ground is no longer an option. That's why I want to be cremated. I don't care to decompose into a hermetically sealed box.
Mary - I know someone who has her mom's ashes in an urn on her mantle place. Well, half the ashes, actually. Her sister has the other half. (!)
Heather - I know. I can't be buried the way I want. What will probably happen is cremation, followed by scattering in one of my favorite wilderness locations.
(What was that movie where they scattered the ashes at the beach, only to have the wind blow them back into their faces? Hilarious)
The movie you're referring to was The Big Lobowski, a great Cohen Brothers flick. Sorry to comment so late, but I just discovered your blog.
I also wanted to be buried naked in the ground, food for some big tree.
Then I decided that I wanted to make my own simple casket out of wood. I would use it as a coffee table before needing it for it's final use, always knowing that eventually it would be my resting place.
Then I read about the "green burial" movement that is happening in the UK. Some people there opt for burial "pods." They are like big paper mache, well, pods, that decompose quickly over time. Now I am kind of hot to trot for a pod burial.
LPE - A pod, eh? Kinda like a big cocoon, inside which we metamorphose for our transition into whatever's next. I like it. Thanks for the info.
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