Planning for Dying to Bring Peace to Living

As we head into fall, I'm thinking about how planning for dying and death is one of those things that no one really wants to do, but most of us feel like we SHOULD do. And we're right!"

Simply thinking about what’s important to us and talking about it goes most of the way toward avoiding unnecessary suffering, conflict, and financial burden for families. But starting these conversations is the hard part!

It turns out even doctors struggle to talk about it! According to the 2022 Report of the Lancet Commission on the Value of Death: bringing death back into life medical professionals often avoid discussing death and dying. If healthcare providers find it difficult, no wonder families do too!"

Even when we're motivated to act, 'getting our affairs in order' can feel overwhelming. Estate attorneys help with legal documents, but that's expensive and incomplete—leaving out the spiritual preparation (gratitude, grief, acceptance, legacy) and other practical knowledge (advance care planning, hospice/palliative care, disposition and funeral planning) that significantly impact our lives and the lives of our loved ones.

That's why I'm continuing our programming with community workshops on many of these topics along with our Story Circle program - a committed small group experience where 6-8 participants meet for six sessions to share sacred stories about birth, death, and life's pivotal moments. Through deep listening and authentic storytelling, we discover meaning and feel truly seen while building genuine community.

At A Storied Life, we'll continue doing what we’ve learned works best: curating trustworthy information, creating safe spaces for difficult conversations, and letting people take what's useful without overwhelm so each of us can discern our path forward and live with intention and meaning.