Grief and trauma and death and dying are good friends of mine. Many times, they travel along with a healthy dose of humor.
For example, I write in Caskets From Costco about the morning after my father-in-law died. I was finished with my shower and was about to pull back the shower curtain, and was stopped by the thought, “What if he’s…here? Can he see me naked?”
I even said, “Hello? If you’re here, don’t look.”
Then I laughed. Followed by crying, because he and I had a special relationship and I missed him so much.
Medium Writers Challenge: Death!
I recently submitted a story to Medium. They had a Medium Writers Challenge with provocative topics in the midst of the pandemic, like re-entry and death. The word “death” as subject matter intrigued me, as I write about death and trauma and pain and grief (and humor). All. The. Time.
Surely I have something that will work here, I thought. And sure enough, I did. This story is from several years ago, when I was still married to my first husband. Here’s the beginning of What are the Rules When Someone is Dying?
The Rules of Dying
I wanted Grandma’s clear, solid glass, antique butt plug.
If only I could find it before the estate sale.
There were also technicalities involved, the detritus that comes from not having a “antique butt plug clause” in your will. Technically, Grandma wasn’t related to me by blood; she was my husband’s grandmother, even though we all called her “Grandma” to make life simpler. I had no claim on property left behind in the wake of Grandma’s peaceful passing. I wasn’t supposed to know about the clear, solid glass, antique butt plug.
Grandma was north of ninety years of age when she died. She was a riveter in World War II, had been married a couple of times, and was a roller skating dancer well into her seventies. Grandma was the mother of three and grandmother to two. She apparently had enjoyed an open curiosity about the natural wonders of the human body.
Go here to read the rest of What are the Rules When Someone is Dying?
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