Talking About Death Won't Kill You...

Talking About Death Won’t Kill You...
And May Help You Live More Joyfully

This series, co-hosted by New Hampshire Alliance for End of Life Options, Brookhaven Hospice of NH, and Portsmouth Public Library, will focus on the profound to the practical, helping to demystify and normalize conversations about mortality and death, and what really matters in our lives. The series will cover how to communicate our end of life wishes – a process that evolves over time as our lives change. These events will be held in hybrid format – attend online through Zoom, or in person at the Portsmouth Public Library! Free and open to all.

This series is supported by a grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.

Find out more about the whole series!

Part 1: How to Live Forever
Wednesdays May 18 & 25
6:30 – 8 PM
Sign up for one or both sessions!

Would we really want to live forever? The world’s great thinkers have answered consistently and emphatically, no! The knowledge of our own mortality sharpens our focus on living. Without death, they argue, life itself could become meaningless.

But there are other ways to live forever – through those around us, who witness and learn from us. How we approach aging and end of life can teach and leave our loved ones with a sense of wholeness, hope, forgiveness, and love. These are deep experiences that can pass through generations. And you can do it now, at home – no cryogenics needed!

However, this definition of living forever means taking death out of the closet. By really absorbing its truth, we can sharpen our quality of living.

In “How to Live Forever” we’ll start by examining and clarifying our own thoughts, values, and beliefs around how we face the end, and through that, how we can live life to its fullest. It’s the first step toward good conversations with those who matter most about some of life’s most profound questions, including how we approach our dying.

“How to Live Forever” will be held in two sessions – attend one or both! Session One, on Wednesday May 18, focuses on the question: how we would live if we really knew we were going to die? We will challenge ourselves to bring this awareness into our daily lives. It’s the foundation for conversations with those who matter most – our health care proxy, medical providers, clergy, and others – about how we want to approach our end. Session Two, on Wednesday May 25, offers the opportunity to dig deeper and take on questions in a “death over dinner” format, with facilitated small group discussion. It’s a way to practice having the conversations with no pressure, judgment, or expectations – and maybe even laugh a little!

Registration is required.

If attending ONLINE, please register through Eventbrite.

If attending IN PERSON, please register below.