As an only child who knew I'd always be responsible for handling my parents' remains once they were gone, I made it clear to them that they probably wouldn't have elaborate funerals. Personally, I don't see the point in spending that kind of money, and the idea of having to plan and host such an event at one of the toughest moments of my life overwhelmed my introverted self. To me, that stuff is for the living. I feel like I've served my parents well here on earth, and that's worth far more.
If you don't like it, you should have had more kids, I joked. (And before someone calls me an awful daughter, I say some of this in jest, but they're both low-maintenance people who agreed with me on what a waste all of it is. Their only ask was to be cremated.)
So, I had my first experience with that a few years ago when my mom died. The day after her death, my dad, my cousin, and I went to the local funeral home, and we sat and listened patiently as the woman who worked there went over just about every single thing they offered. Thousands of dollars for this and that. When she realized we were foregoing the funeral and burial, she began bringing up all of the little extras. For this price, we can turn the cremains into jewelry and for that price we can put the cremains in some gaudy gold urn. For this they can make Christmas ornaments and whatever else. No thanks.
In the end, I chose a simple wooden box that I knew my mother would love (she'd kill me if I put her in a gold urn), and the only "extra" I agreed to was a clipping of her hair. Thankfully, they don't charge for that, or I would have asked for some scissors and done it myself.
I fully understand that these might be unpopular opinions, and I also understand that some people's religious beliefs may dictate otherwise, but that's just the way I am. I don't consider myself cheap by any means, but to me, the funeral industry is a big racket. I'd rather spend that money on something I can enjoy while I'm alive than some fancy casket.
Well, as it turns out, there is another option that's becoming increasingly popular. My own governor here in Georgia, Brian Kemp, just signed a law that legalizes human composting in our state. We join Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington, which all have similar laws on the book or will soon. Ours goes into effect in July.
Human composting is basically the act of turning your body into soil after you die, just like a gardener might compost kitchen scraps, or, more specifically, just like your body would decompose naturally if left to do so when you died. ("To dust you will return.") Of course, you can't just throw grandpa out in the backyard and cover him with dirt and plant a tree on top. There are specially designed facilities for this. And from what I understand, you can eventually take your loved one's soil remails home and then plant a tree or garden on top. Evidentially, the average body can provide you with one cubic yard of soil that will cover 100 feet at 3 inches deep.
I'm sure it's still pretty pricey, but at least it's useful, and I like the idea of planting a garden over my mom's remains rather than sticking them on a shelf in one of those awful urns. According to the company Earth Funeral, the process might go something like this:
The human composting process begins with gently washing the body and wrapping it in a biodegradable shroud. The body is then laid in a specially designed vessel with organic materials like mulch, wood chips, and wildflowers. This vessel is sealed and meticulously monitored to ensure the ideal balance of carbon, nitrogen, and moisture to facilitate microbial activity. Over 30 to 45 days, these naturally-occurring microbes break down the body into soil. Sometimes, bones are removed and ground down to fine particles, then returned to the soil. Human composting mirrors natural cycles of life and decomposition, akin to how leaves decompose on a forest floor, enriching the soil with nutrients.
Unfortunately, a lot of leftist climate change types have hijacked the idea and try to sell it with their language — it's carbon neutral! (don't really care) — but to me, it's much more than that. While I don't buy into climate change nonsense, I am all for individuals who want to take care of the environment (without a lot of government mandates), but at the end of the day, I think it's just nice for people to have another choice and more freedom when it comes to what do with their loved ones' bodies.
And as I said, I like the idea of using old life to grow something new. Gravestones and urns might be pretty, but they mean nothing to me. My mom's cremains sit in that box on my fireplace, and I can't tell you the last time I even looked at it with purpose. But I go outside every single day and see flowers she planted in her yard that is now mine. Your mileage may vary, and that's okay.
So, what say you? Would you go the "human composting" route or do you know someone who has?
