Show Me the BODY

I was at a funeral where an in-law of the deceased expressed dismay that there wasn't an open casket.  She was asking the sons and daughters to consider having an open casket, after the funeral had already begun.  She became insistent, but it wasn't going to happen.

Everyone was shocked that she would be so bold in a time of grief.  I thought, well, we all react differently to death, and she is entitled to her own reaction.  But really, was she entitled to be pushy about this?

I think about that incident a lot whenever I see someone doing something that seems inappropriate during a serious and troubling event, like a funeral or medical emergency.  I think, for some, that trauma brings out emotions that turn off their common sense censor.  Others are left to watch in dismay or to be further troubled by their behavior.

A friend of mine posted this LA Times article on Facebook about "how not to say the wrong thing."  I think it's basically good advice.

I'm hesitant to include this in my blog because someone might think, "oh, dear, what might I have done to offend Angie, who is currently in the center of this circle?"  While that might be an interesting mental exercise for you, I'm not directing this at anyone in particular.   You haven't spoiled it for me.

Yet.

The article says I'm entitled to kvetch all I want.  I'm not much of a kvetcher, if that's even a word.  I'm more likely to manically talk about my thyroid woes with a big grin on my face, like I'm about to go on an ocean cruise. My worst kvetching sounds more like I just accidentally put a dark red shirt in with the whites, and now everything is pink, which is slightly amusing.