Why I Created Conversation Cards About *Death*

A few months after my dad died I observed an odd (yet common) thing:

People stopped asking about my dad, and they avoided talking about their dads.

It's ironic, that when someone dies we plaster ‘gone but not forgotten’ across all our socials and funeral paraphernalia, yet afterwards, there’s this unspoken assumption that bringing up someone who’s died will make us feel sad all over again.

We avoid saying anything that could cause grief or discomfort, yet these emotions are fundamental parts of being human. 

Every person I've spoken to would rather someone brings up their passed loved one than not - it actually fills us with joy, a chance to reflect and remember them in a group setting rather than alone in our mind.

Another thing I faced when Dad suddenly died - would he have wanted my sisters and I to choose to keep him alive, but with full-time care? 

It's highly unlikely, but we’d never had that conversation. 

What kind of funeral did he want? We could make assumptions based on his personality, but we’d never actually spoken about his end-of-life wishes.

There are so many questions, death-related and not, that I wish I asked my dad before he died. We had many great conversations - but with age and hindsight, I wish I had a tool to ask the deep-hitting questions that may not always naturally come up in conversations.

We’re not always switched on to ask thought-provoking questions, nor are we always in the mood to respond with depth. And that's OK.

So having some Good Chat conversation cards on hand for when those moments arise, or to use as a tool for inspiration, helps fill those gaps. 

Let's have a good chat about death.