Hello, Mortal

Hello, Mortal We're all gonna die. Let's talk about it.

If you’ve ever said to yourself, “Flowers are too expensive, they’ll be dead in a week, they feel wasteful,” all of that...
05/31/2026

If you’ve ever said to yourself, “Flowers are too expensive, they’ll be dead in a week, they feel wasteful,” all of that is true.

But take this as your sign to buy them anyway! And read the full piece to embrace what flowers have been trying to teach us all along. 💐

The science of cellular rejuvenation is advancing fast. The philosophical questions are just getting started.⬇️If humans...
05/24/2026

The science of cellular rejuvenation is advancing fast. The philosophical questions are just getting started.

⬇️

If humans can live 50, 100, or 200 more years, how does that change our world?

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We’ve been so focused on not dying that we forgot to ask what living well actually looks like.

⬇️

Join the conversation on Substack


Ram Dass believed that taking care of our own “unfinished business” and making practical arrangements can help us to die...
05/17/2026

Ram Dass believed that taking care of our own “unfinished business” and making practical arrangements can help us to die more peacefully, without fear—which benefits both the dying and the living.

“If I’m going to die, the best way to prepare is to quiet my mind and open my heart,” he said, as quoted in Walking Each Other Home. “If I’m going to live, the best way to prepare is to quiet my mind and open my heart.”

But he wasn’t only speaking of spiritual preparation as we tend to think of it: meditating on impermanence, confronting our fears around our mortality.

He also meant the practical work of preparing for death: making a will, creating advanced care directives and getting your affairs in order.

For more guidance on how to start planning for death, check out our most popular and most-shared Substack piece, “10 questions to answer before you die.”

On a day when we honor the mothers we had, and those we have, maybe it’s worth sitting with the mothers we don’t remembe...
05/10/2026

On a day when we honor the mothers we had, and those we have, maybe it’s worth sitting with the mothers we don’t remember, and the ones we’ve yet to meet.

Read the full contemplation on Substack.

At the end of the day, death cleaning ultimately serves two purposes: to make us less afraid of death, and to remind us ...
05/03/2026

At the end of the day, death cleaning ultimately serves two purposes: to make us less afraid of death, and to remind us that even after we’ve done it, life keeps offering new discoveries, new pleasures, new ways of seeing everything we’ve already lived.

Our latest Substack breaks down the gentle art of Swedish death cleaning. Link in bio.

Nicole Kidman’s announcement to become a death doula has people talking! But before we debate whether she has the “right...
04/26/2026

Nicole Kidman’s announcement to become a death doula has people talking! But before we debate whether she has the “right personality” for it or will be taking on clients, let’s talk about what a death doula actually does, why we need them more than ever, and why we think everyone should take the training.

Have you chosen a final disposition method for yourself? If so, which one, and why? Share in the comments below.To learn...
04/19/2026

Have you chosen a final disposition method for yourself? If so, which one, and why? Share in the comments below.

To learn more about your options, head to our Substack to read the full article.

Because choosing how your body returns is one of the most intentional and loving decisions you can make. But it’s not always an easy decision. If you’re not sure which option is best for you, we’re building something to help—a contemplative quiz that matches you to body disposition options that also align with your values.

And both traditions—Easter and Passover—reach back to something even older. Long before Christianity or Judaism, many an...
04/05/2026

And both traditions—Easter and Passover—reach back to something even older. Long before Christianity or Judaism, many ancient cultures celebrated spring festivals that honored renewal, fertility, and the return of life after winter.

Head to Substack for the full reflection.

We tend to associate grief with the death of a physical being—and it is—but grief can belong to any kind of loss. Like t...
03/29/2026

We tend to associate grief with the death of a physical being—and it is—but grief can belong to any kind of loss. Like the loss of a past version of ourselves we outgrew. We each have our own stories: the marriage that ended, the career we never pursued, the body that changed.

Nature does not treat endings as a failure, so why should our endings in life be any different?

Read the full reflection and join the conversation on Substack.

History tells us that only the greatest will be remembered, but even they will eventually fade into obscurity. This is t...
02/08/2026

History tells us that only the greatest will be remembered, but even they will eventually fade into obscurity. This is the paradox of ambition: we chase greatness, knowing that one day it might all be forgotten, but still we play.

Head to our Substack for the full reflection.

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