Dying is inevitable, it’s part of being alive. Grieving comes after losing someone dear to our hearts. These are common occurrences that nobody can escape from. But talking of death and bereavement isn’t a very common topic within a cafe, over coffee and cake.
This isn’t the case for a café in Cleveland, Ohio as conversations of death-related issues were the highlight of the customers during the inaugural “Death Cafe ” event. Shelly Barnard, a social worker and co-host of the event, said the more you talk about death, the less scary it will be.
“Talking about death lets you know what’s most important in life. It keeps everything in perspective,” said the 44-year-old Lakewood resident. “We need to be more like the ancient cultures and celebrate death.”