A Blessed Life (A blog about death)

As part of my day job I am required to take a palliative care course. Palliative care is the care of a person in the last year of their life, and it's care of a person in their death. I've managed to dodge out of this for the last 4 years because I just knew with being the over sensitive creature that I am, it might just be too much for me to bear.

And it's true. I often talk about my dismal sex life and rarely talk about death. Upon finding out I had to have a (very minor) operation at the beginning of the year (that I still yak on about) I told my husband precisely what I wanted doing with my body and at my funeral. He didnt listen. I'm sure he'd have just shoved me in the ground and then I'd have to haunt him for eternity.

But our death is as important as our life.

I just want to quickly say, I am blessed. I might have been through a few shit situations in life and I'm not 100% happy with how everything turned out, but I know that I am blessed.

So much so that I would be totally fine if I were to be hit by a bus tomorrow. Honestly, I feel as complete as I think I should feel for this stage of my life and I firmly believe that I'd be back before long.

So, when I die, I want to be put in a wicker coffin wearing a white muslin dress. If whoever is dressing me cant get hold of that specifically, I'll be more than happy to be wrapped in white muslin fabric (as I would wrap a towel around me, so shoulders and arms uncovered). Theres loads of that in my sewing room so they can help themselves. Bare feet. No make-up, no jewellery. Daisies in my hair, hair curled.

I want flowers to be woven and threaded into the coffin.

Anyone can attend, but you will have to be in bare feet. If you insist on wearing shoes don't bother coming. Be prepared to hold eachothers hands. Burn me. Scatter my ashes wherever there are trees and flowers.

As trivial as all this sounds (and morbid, I'm sure), It's important to me that this is how my body is disposed of. This is my ritual. This will be my goodbye. And I will make sure each and every one of you knows how much I loved you in life. As long as you have bare feet.