You know that saying rest in peace that we use on tombstones after the beloved dies that suggests if they’ve gone on to all of eternity? If there is eternity at all. I’ve been thinking a lot about it as I live in this very black body in this here America. And in order to rest properly we need to feel safe in order to do so and safety has elements of privilege written all up in it. And one day, this black body needs to feel safe enough to die.

In my work as a Death Doula I support people and cultivating the sense of safety within their own bodies. So they can finally surrender to that big rest. I often will whisper “you are safe” as somebody lays dying. One of the ways in which we can prepare ourselves for the big rest is in the little rest, looking at the places in which we can cultivate a sense of safety within our own body. The big rest? Death. The little rest. Maybe a nap.

So where do you feel safe enough to rest and how do you see elements of privilege within it? Thank you for giving me a minute of your life to think about the end of it.

For death doula training visit www.goingwithgrace.com/trainingdetails