We do not know when we will die. We may see it coming from far away, or all at once. But I will die and you will die. You believe that, don't you? You get ready to die the way you get ready for a trip. Start by realizing you don't know the way. Study the language, look at maps, pack your bags.
Let yourself imagine what it will be like. Think of this book as a travel guide: a guide to preparing for your own death and the deaths of people close to you. The fact of death is hard to believe. Sallie Tisdale explores our fears and all the ways death and talking about death make us uncomfortable-and she also explores its intimacies and joys. Tisdale looks at grief, what the last days and hours of life are like, and what happens to dead bodies. Advice for Future Corpses includes stories, exercises, practical advice, personal experience, and a little Buddhist philosophy. But this isn't a book of inspiration or spiritual advice - Advice for Future Corpses is about how you can get ready. Start by admitting that we are all future corpses. For anyone with a terminal illness, and those who care for them.
