The Hard Conversations

I've written before about good conversations with close friends, but today I got to thinking about the hard conversations, the ones we seem to spend a lot of time and energy trying not to have.

As I scrounged late last night in frustration for one good thing to cling to on what turned out to be a rather horrid Monday, I remembered a conversation I had with one of my best friends earlier.

She had a wake to go to yesterday for a friend's mother who passed away suddenly this week.

"Ugh. Funerals make me sad," she said. "When I die, promise me you'll celebrate my life and wear lots of bright colors, okay?"

"Will do! Please do the same for me... Is it weird that I sometimes hear songs and think 'I want that played at my funeral?'" I asked, glad to finally confess this to someone.

"I totally do that all the time! And don't worry, I've got you covered," she replied.

"When I die, there should be karaoke, guitar hero, super bright colors and cake. Celebrate lives lived, not just the lives lost. Life is way too short, so go out and live it!" She soon posted on her Facebook status. Within minutes, several people responded with a 'Like' or comment in agreement.

"When I die, I want people to have a feast of scrumptious food and I want them to dance all night," I told her.

We then made a pact to write each other into our wills, to make sure that the other would be the 'party' planner in the event of our death. Our initial brainstorms included a bachelorette party redux, but we thought the erotic cake might be a little over the top for some of our relatives. We settled for posting pictures of good times we've had over the years.

As much as I hate to think of the death of someone who means so much to me, our conversation was the brightest part of my day. We always think that these are the things not to bring up, the things that don't need to be discussed. [After all, we're only in our twenties - who needs to think about dying yet...] But when you've had a crappy day at work, and you're worried about money and bills and what your future holds, and you're feeling the squelching pains of writer's block, and you're missing family so bad it hurts, do you really want to chat about the weather?

Sometimes, it's the biggest sigh of relief, the deepest breath of fresh air to tell your best friend,

Yes. I will be there for you. Even then.

Suddenly, the thing you've been trying not to say or acknowledge, the really hard, awkward conversation you don't want to discuss, turns out to be the only thing worth saying.

Don't be afraid to say that one thing that might open the floodgate to admitting that life is hard and scary and short,

and beautiful and joyous and worth celebrating,

even as we say goodbye to it.

Picture courtesy of the lovely Erin Lee, taken about a bizzilion years ago... or maybe only 5. I can't believe it's been that long! I love you, Rachie. <3