Eternal Birthdays
After the enormous changes in my life these past three years including the death of both my parents, the loss of the dream of seeing the SS United States revitalized, a professional dream stolen (then returned), and selling my beloved home of 27 years, I’m developing a rather practical view of life as the curtain rises on my Act Three. To that end, I had vowed three years ago (after dealing with the predatory funeral business when my dad passed) that I would make all of those preparations in advance. And what better day than my birthday to arrange for cremation and a niche in a lovely columbarium at my favorite place in Los Angeles, the privately owned and operated Hollywood Forever Cemetery? Noelle Berman, the park’s Director of Private Estates, accepted us with open arms and a terrific sense of humor when we arrived without an appointment, and an hour later, we had picked out a perfect spot and signed on the dotted line. It couldn’t have been more pleasant, and Noelle kept remarking how nice it was that we were doing this while we still have our health and can laugh about it. We even scored complimentary cremations and a 10% discount. I told her about my fictional producer Milford Langen being buried there back in the late 20th century, and she immediately sparked and noted the title of my novel. We were also gifted with cemetery swag: tee shirts and caps. Our spot is very close to two Judys–Garland and Tenuta–and a short stroll to visit our friends Don LaFontaine, Kathy Wood, and Stella Stevens. In this challenging time line, it’s nice to have one less thing to worry about or, in fact, ever think about again.
Oh, and I even got recruited to start yoga classes on the cemetery lawn. After all, this sort of purchase is the opposite of instant gratification. It’s nice to know it’s there, but the idea of having to actually use it is a great incentive to stay healthy.