Confessions of an obit proofer

The UK’s Guardian posted a column last week written by someone who worked as a content moderator for an online memorial company for six years, during which time he says he screened about 500,000 comments for spam, misspellings, and inappropriate messages. It’s a long, but interesting, diatribe that sheds light on what’s become an increasingly popular forum for airing grievances with the deceased, attacking other family members, or having social media-like conversations with other posters that become anything but condolences. One such comment the author found particularly offensive was a person asking another for a quote for mowing their lawn. Overall, though, it’s a good read about the mental toll this kind of work (the work that YOU do everyday, with no complaints) can really take on a person. Also, it does highlight the value of the new, highly accurate AI tools that are beginning to take over these tasks.

Life lessons from the dying

Among the many gratifying benefits of being a death doula is the privilege of hearing the final thoughts and confessions of those nearing end of life. Last week, one death doula shared some of the most common regrets she and other doulas have heard from their clients in the hopes that we, the living, can learn from them. They included:

• Staying in unhappy and sexless marriages, 
• Not downsizing or decluttering (and thus leaving this to their survivors),
• Being in a hospital instead of home,
• Being a burden on loved ones in the final days,
• Not saying goodbye to friends, and
• Not sharing their honest thoughts with others.

Do you know NOR?

Natural organic reduction.

Human composting.

Whatever you call it in your neck of the woods, it’s the next wave in disposition … and you need to have your surfboard ready to go.

Micah Truman and the Return Home team are on a mission to educate the world on all things Terramation (a beautiful term they coined for the process) one video at a time. Seven states have legalized Terramation, and more than a dozen others are working on legislation. Even if your state isn’t on that list, the families you serve will be asking questions. Micah and the Return Homies are here to help you answer them.

Let’s start with a quick tour of the Return Home facility, with the one-and-only Micah as your tour guide. 

So … How old do you think Tully is? Email info@returnhome.com with your best guess! Micah promised a prize to the winner — let’s hold him to it!

What was your favorite part of the video?

a) Micah sniffing burlap bags of soil

b) Jake not working

c) Learning where the bathrooms were located

Stay tuned for more from Micah and the team, and send us any and all questions you’d like for us to cover in future videos!