The prompt Erin gave to us for this week - the one about what we'd want in our graves and what others might put in them - got me excited. Rather than thinking how morbid it is to think about what I'd want in my own grave, I enjoyed thinking about it and took a rather lighthearted approach to it. I asked on my facebook wall what others would put into my grave if they could. I managed to get a few responses - everything from items to sacrifices (apparently). I have some interesting friends it seems.
I had a difficult time coming up with what I would want to put in my own grave for archaeologists of the future to analyse to determine something about my identity. Mostly it was hard because I've always wanted to donate whatever I could to science, and then be cremated and spread over a mountain or into the Pacific. Being put into the ground just doesn't feel like home to me.
So, if I WERE to have an inhumation burial somewhere with grave goods and a grave marker and all that good stuff, what would I choose to be put with me? The first thing that came to mind was, "Wouldn't it be great to put a bunch of random crap in my grave to confuse the pants off of anyone trying to figure me out?" I had a good chuckle about this, and then actually thought seriously about it. Finding objects to tell others about me was difficult. The only things that I could come up with, were maybe a camera, the jewellery I always wear, beer or beer making supplies, and perhaps my flute. I'm not sure how meaningful it would all be, but it was the best I could think up. I think it might be neat to make a DVD or flash drive with photos about my life and throw it in there too. Take away some of the wonder (if it survived). I feel like if I had to be buried somewhere, I'd also want to face the completely opposite direction of everyone else. Maybe be buried in some random location that I enjoyed being- Mount Rainier, perhaps? Not that they'd allow that, of course. It's a nice dream I can have though.
A photo of Mount Rainier in Washington I took over the summer. I think it would be pretty great to be buried/have ashes scattered here
Most of the objects I've picked are only important to me because I spend a lot of my time doing things relating to those objects. My camera is my life. I'd probably actually be lost without it. I'm a bit picky with what jewellery objects I wear, and each piece holds some sort of value or memory. As far as the beer stuff goes, some of my fondest memories are of myself and my fiance talking about recipes and brewing together. Because we don't see each other very often right now, memories like that make me happy. My flute would be to represent my creativity and love for music. Much of my childhood and teenage years were spent learning and playing flute, and so was a large part of what made me who I am today. What people might assume from these objects is completely up in the air, but I think it would be interesting to see what people hypothesized based on my choices.
The results of my little facebook poll had some interesting responses to the question of what others would put into my grave. A high school friend responded saying that she would put "Kim Kuffner- Klumsy Kool Kind & Kreative" on my tombstone. Once I told her it was what was going IN my grave, she said "a camera, a case of delicious European beer, and a picture of a case of delicious beer...and those wooden word art things that says klumsy." She figured the reasons why were pretty obvious. I love photography, appreciate good beer, and I am a self proclaimed klutz.
A friend from Washington stated that he'd put in "anything Celine Dion." Maybe because I'm Canadian? I'm not a fan of her music, so I guess this would be a good example of me (the dead) not having a choice as to what someone put into my grave.
A third friend offered to sacrifice her dog and my fiance. Must be a pretty important individual if someone is willing to make animal and human sacrifices on my behalf, and without the sacrifice's consent!
I'm pretty certain my Washington friend wasn't being all that serious, but I think it goes to show that after your death, sometimes you don't really have a say in what goes in there. You may have your ideas about it, and someone else comes along and throws some random stuff in there that has absolutely nothing to do with who you were as an individual.
