The devil is in the details.
Preparing advance directives may seem like an easy task at first. But why does it continually move to the bottom of the pile on the desk? What could be so very challenging that we are unable to put our wishes in writing with ease? There are just a few seemingly simple decisions to make, after all.
However, the decisions in question require that we confront our mortality…. often a more than daunting task. So how can we do it? How can we contemplate the unknown details we might face as we approach the end of our life?
In addition to contemplation, conversation with friends and loved ones might be a useful activity to instigate decision-making. Simply imagining – out loud – how it might feel to be at the end of your life could be a great beginning. What does it look like? Who is around you? Smells? Sounds? Fear? Anxiety? Discord? Anticipation?
We cannot possibly know how our end will come – or go. However, we can begin to ‘plan’, based on our own held values and preferences, the kind of container and care that might suit us best. And document and share that information with our loved ones. These are the kinds of details that create advance directives.