Let’s face the fact of our human mortality together with less fear and more curiosity, with less euphemism and more reality, with less conformity and more creativity.

Maybe you are experiencing more death anxiety than you are comfortable with…

Maybe you want to learn more about end of life because you want to explore mortality more…

DwDC explores mortality in community. It is an opportunity to learn, share and deepen your own understanding of what death means to you and how you want to approach death—particularly your own.

Sessions are held on selected Mondays from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. To register contact Teri at office@mmuus.org or call 315-446-8920.

• Getting Comfortable with Death Talk (10/21)
  Death has become hidden, making it harder for us to come to terms with the reality of it. It hasn’t always been this way. The modern death-positive movement creates ways for those who want the chance to talk openly about mortality. We’ll explore how the Date with Death Club provides a chance to grow our comfort and knowledge about this topic.
• Afterlife / Afterlives (11/4)
  What happens after we die is a mystery. There’s lots of speculation and theory but no concrete evidence. In this non-dogmatic session, we’ll explore concepts of an afterlife (or not) through an interfaith panel representing different traditions and outlooks, then engage in personal reflection on what our beliefs are, where we got them from, and how they have held up over our lifetimes.
• Aging: Better Than the Alternative (11/18)
  In this life, there’s no escaping aging or declining health. It is part of the mortal dance. In our youth- oriented society, one must be intentional to feel good about aging or about health challenges. We’ll use this session to explore what it means to come face to face with the two realities of aging and getting sick, lessening fear by facing it.
• Dying, Death, & Poetry (12/9)
  Reflecting upon dying and death can sound morbid, but really it can connect us with what is truly meaningful in our lives, as well as with beauty in the world and gratitude in our hearts. This session will use easy-to understand poetry to help us find our own way of understanding our mortality.
• Facing Extinction: Processing Eco-Grief (12/23)
  Due to the climate crisis, we face not our own mortality, but questions about our collective existence as a species and whether the planet is dying (at least as it is inhabitable by humans). Using concepts from the “Work That Reconnects,” developed by Joanna Macy, we’ll bravely explore this emotional terrain.
• Good Life & Good Death (1/13)
  What do people mean when they say “a good death?” And how is that connected to having “a good life?” Is it the same for everyone? Are there barriers to a good life? What do these terms mean for you?
• Grief: Loving & Losing, Learning & Living (1/27)
  With love comes loss. With living comes dying. This session explores how grief and disenfranchised grief work and what it means in our own lives. While our focus is grief, and there may be grieving people in the room, this is not a grief support group.
• Hospice, Palliative Care, & End-of-Life Documents, Oh My! (2/10)
  More and more people are using hospice at the end of life and doing so sooner, which can be helpful to them and their loved ones. Yet, most people who want to die at home end up dying in a facility. In this session, we’ll hear from an expert on hospice and explore end-of-life documents like advance directives.
• Medical Aid in Dying / Death with Dignity (2/24)
  What does death with dignity mean? We’ll explore the in’s and out’s of Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD), including its legal status in the United States and what it means. We’ll also review other legal, ethical ways to hasten death, being sure to explore concerns about ableism that are a part of this landscape.
• Owning Your Dying (3/17)
  Death as a general concept is one thing; our own death is a whole other thing. In this session, we’ll talk about possible ways to face our own death with intention, exploring the process of holding deathbed vigils, as well as home funerals. We’ll talk about the role of End-of-Life support people and other community supports for reclaiming this aspect of our lives.
• Planning Your Own Memorial Service / Writing Your Own Obituary (3/31)
  You can leave it for those who survive you. Or you can spend some time now planning your memorial service, leaving helpful information for your loved ones when the time comes. We’ll also use a specially developed worksheet that you can take home. Just like planning your own memorial service, you can spend time now putting together your obituary. We’ll explore both traditional obituaries (the kind you are likely to find in the local newspaper) and more story-based obituaries that can help us connect with our own deeper purpose.
• Resistance & Acceptance: The Mortal Dance (4/14)
  Our attitudes toward our own mortality are a dance between resistance (do not go gentle into that good night) and acceptance (no one gets out of here alive). This session will use music and reflection to explore death anxiety and the new science around the use of psilocybin (“magic mushrooms”) to help ease the fear of death in those with terminal diagnoses.
• What to Do with a Dead Body? (4/28)
  After a death, the body must be taken care of—“disposed.” Common means are burial and traditional cremation. But may you want to donate your body to science? Yet there are evolving technologies and new choices to be made. Perhaps you want a green burial? Or you want your body to become compost? We’ll explore what’s out there and what choices you may want to make now to get what you want then.

DwDC is not a bereavement or grief support group. While it may be healing of the human condition, the nature of DwDC is not specifically therapeutic.