Day 49. 10 small moments
1. Turkey sausage, scrambled eggs and burnt coffee. The three of us sit casually eating breakfast while awkwardly avoiding talking about politics as Fox news plays out loudly in front of us. We are strangers about to spend the whole day together.
2. I sit in the backseat and lurch forward at the sight: The mountains with their white peaks are breathtaking. I couldn’t see them until now since we landed at night.
3. Everyone is so nice and funny and there’s an easy and welcoming camaraderie. My theory is that this is what happens when you work daily and so closely with death.
4. Mary & Tito’s Cafe for lunch after the meetings. I order the Carne Adovada with both the red and green chile sauces and beans and rice and extra guacamole and another tamale on the side because I just *had* to try one… because apparently my eyes are bigger than my stomach.
5. Six of us stuff our faces while the conversation flows naturally from pheasant hunting to fishing to camping to kids — all while returning once in a while to the main topic at hand: death.
6. After lunch, we pile into his car to tour some locations. It is at this moment that I realize that I will be walking into a crematorium for the first time ever in my life. FYI, there is no etiquette book on how to role-play this first experience. I decide to embrace the unknown and put my research hat on by asking a million questions. And it’s like a switch: I grasp this opportunity to fully unravel all of my preconceived ideas with an unfettered glee — just like I have done with every client before them.
7. The bright white lilies are so fragrant. They look so fragile and ephemeral. They are perfect.
8. All of them are super eager to go to this coffee shop and “stock up.” I stand there looking at shelf after shelf of flavored ground coffee: Hazelnut. Strawberry. Vanilla. Maple. Pumpkin… I wonder, for a nanosecond, if I should bring some home to him.
9. It’s late afternoon and I realize that this is one of the best work days I’ve had in such a long time because each person I meet takes such pride in what they do. It’s such a beautiful thing to witness. We all hug and make promises to stay in touch as we say goodbye to each other. My theory of working closely and daily with death still stands.
10. We walk ten minutes to dinner laughing about everything. 90% of our talk is about our kids. 10% is about work. I finish off the great day with baklava.
