Photo: Doug Silsbee
Epilogue
"I'm gonna find me a daemon in a dark dark wood.
You can't come with me, I wish you could."
From Take a little Walk, by Gregory Hoskins
Although in one sense this project had a natural ending with Doug's death, we also found that the arc of the story—and of the inquiry—wanted to come full circle with two conversations that took place after Doug died. These two conversations are offered below: one with Rob and Lauren, and one with Rob, Lauren, and Doug's wife, Walker.
These conversations are invitations into a different space than the project's primary focus, dialogues between Doug, Rob, and Lauren. They are not edited, due to their conversational and naturally meandering quality.
Rob and Lauren — August 29, 2018
0:00 - Learning of Doug’s death
7:05 - Rob’s experience after his own death
16:40 - Talking about the experience of dying; and not talking about it.
20:25 - The weird paradox of life after death
22:48 - What was it like to be alive again?
38:40 - On our last conversation with Doug
40:05 - On goodbyes
42:00 - The intimacy of goodbye and turning away from goodbye
48:27 - Denial
53:30 - Love
56:40 - Gratitude
1:00:32 - Favorite things about Doug
Walker, Rob & Lauren — September 30, 2018
3:20 - Doug's dying process
20:33 - This is easier than I thought it would be
23:33 - Allowing what comes up
24:45 - Grief
26:20 - Celebration of life
28:18 - Cocoon of grief
30:27 - Learning from your transparency
32:28 - Death opens us up
38:58 - Masterful dying
40:00 - Gratitude
Questions to consider on your own
What is the legacy of your life?
What is most significant for you to give to others?
What does contemplating the end of your life inspire in you?
How are endings creating new possibilities in your life?