Breaking the big taboo about death
IT WASN’T the kind of theatrical performance many people might choose, yet The End Of The Road Show was so beautiful, funny, uplifting, moving, dramatic, poetic and true, I wish everybody could see it.
If I tell you the key question of this amazing event was, ‘Have you thought about your own death?’ you’ll probably switch off. But please don’t.
The evening was organised by Dorothy House, the wonderful hospice situated just outside Bath, which cared so beautifully for a dear friend of ours. I highly recommend their resource, partoflife. org, which offers compassionate thoughts, links to research, wonderful poetry and much more — to help discussion about all things relating to death and dying.
Are you muttering you don’t want to know? That’s a mistake. This affects us all. The website’s vital aim is to ‘de-stigmatise death to make the most of life’.
And that’s what The End Of The Road Show did. Just one brilliant actress, Su Squire, held the stage magnificently as she took us, the large audience, on a rich, complex journey through living and dying.
It’s almost impossible to describe, but she asked questions and performed sketches as we considered loved ones, thought about what kind of death we might have ourselves, laughed and cried.
A leaflet explained: ‘So — yes, it’s a show about death but it’s also a show about life, love and the amazing things that can happen when we bust the taboo, sit down over a brew, and have a good natter!’ Find out more at this thought-provoking website, offthetwig.co.uk.
This column (unlike many others) has never shied away from answering letters about bereavement. Why would it?
I know what stress can happen when, for example, a loved one refused to talk about what sort of funeral they want, or when a family is unprepared for a death. Reflection is vital.
So light a candle, put on music and take a moment to breathe. And value every second.
BEL answers readers’ questions on emotional and relationship problems each week. Write to Bel Mooney, Daily Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT, or email bel.mooney@dailymail.co.uk. Names are changed to protect identities. Bel reads all letters but regrets she cannot enter into personal correspondence.