I fancy my grave to be...

Imagine the garden walks so memorable to the novels of Jane Austen:  acres of trees, hidden grottos, lakes, and mysterious mausoleums that look as though they came from ancient Rome.

If I were to choose one place in the world for my body to rest for all eternity I would choose a place like that, a mausoleum hidden from civilization.   To throw a little morbid twist to this fancy I’d like to imagine the interior space of the mausoleum to reflect everything I love and encapsulated during my lifetime. To begin with, I want the interior to replicate my bedroom! Yes you heard me, I want my four poster bed, my dresser, my piano, my book shelves and all the books that I have read and love in the tiny little space. I want my own paintings of acrylic, watercolor and oil. I’d also have copies of my journals and photographs of my travels in the hope chest at the foot of my bed.  Moreover, I’d like my collection of Road to Avonle, Anne of Green Gables and Disney movies to accompany me on the long journey to the otherworld.  To stick with tradition of so many graves in many cultures, I would like all my favorite foods to go with me as well: sprite, green tea, popcorn, apples, grapes, CHOCOLATE. Lastly, I would like to be buried with a winning Lotto 649 ticket for 3.5 million dollars, which would pay for this elaborate funeral.

If this mausoleum, my grave, were to lay undisturbed for thousands of years and then eventually was excavated I would like people to know my personal hobbies, my joys in life, that I was educated, loved history, and worldly traveled. These grave goods would also reflect that I was a daughter, a sister, a romantic, and enjoyed my childhood.

In reality, because I am so young, and live off a student’s salary, I have no control over how I am to be buried. It will probably be my parents choice of where to place my body. I pray they burry me and not cremate me, because ever since I read the Cremation of Sam Mcgee by Robert Service the idea of cremation has scared me. It will be a simple and plain burial somewhere in Victoria, British Columbia. My family probably would dress me in white, NOT BLACK, and bury me with my novels, some tacky flowers, and a little memorabilia that remind them of me like a photo of camping, or a letter. These modest grave goods would display that I was the youngest daughter, a sister to three siblings, and that my grandparents played a prominent role in my life. It would also display that I come from a middle class family, not an overtly wealthy, or religious family but I'm sure they would put one of my cross necklaces around my neck. Lastly, I'm sure my friends will place disney drawings into my grave like Beauty and the Beast and awesome stories and letters they have written for me over the years.