My dad has always had a curious mind and a forward-thinking spirit. A lifelong learner, he loves to read, once subscribed to The Futurist, and often said his dream job would be to be a full-time college student. Even at 82, he continues to teach and lecture dental residents at several DC-area hospitals. I think it’s his inspiration that has led me to read so many non-fiction books to satisfy my curious mind.
One of the books I recently finished is The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking by Oliver Burkeman. In it, he explores different ways of thinking about happiness—including the idea of embracing death not with fear, but with intention.
Burkeman spent time in Mexico during Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, a holiday that takes a radically different approach to loss than we typically do in the U.S. He shared a powerful quote from Mexican writer Victor Landa:
“In our tradition, people die three deaths.
The first is when our bodies cease to function.
The second is when the body is lowered into the ground.
The third, and most definitive, is when there is no one left alive to remember us.”
That third death is the one we can actually do something about.
In a cemetery on that holiday, Burkeman witnessed an entire town gathered through the night—lighting candles, telling stories, keeping memories alive. It’s a beautiful reminder: our loved ones are never truly gone if we continue to share their stories.
In that spirit, I wanted to share a testimonial from my client, Michael Newman. Just a few months after we finished his project, Michael lost his beloved wife unexpectedly. The video we created together has become a great source of comfort for him and his family.
Michael now calls the video his “401(k) of memorabilia.” I’m deeply grateful to clients like him, who recognize the power of capturing someone’s story while we still can—and to my own dad, whose example of how he lives his life continues to inspire me every day.