"Tree seed?"
...a dispatch from bewilderness
Death means you spilled every drop of time. Someday I’ll be dead. Turned to ash, travel-sized, maybe, in a cute micro-urn. Three ounces or less and I’ll get through airport security. Maybe you’ll scatter me somewhere nice or plant me somewhere beautiful.
You can choose urns trimmed with leopard spots. Or in ambassador shapes. I have no idea what that means. Or you could turn me into a tree. Check out this quote from an ad: “Whatever your motivation, the Memorial Tree Urn is a beautiful idea that combines burial and scattering with new life and ‘living memorials.’”
Then what? The cremated ashes are placed into the urn, which is then “planted” in the ground to “aid in the growth of a beautiful tree seed.” Repeat, “tree seed.” They had me at “tree” but lost me at “seed.” No one wants to turn into a “tree seed.”
No one is dying to be one either. So I would have said to “aid in the growth of a beautiful tree.” Also note the line, “whatever your motivation.” That’s strange, too. Purveyors of the tree product say, “Tree memorials have deep historical roots, appearing in cultures worldwide as symbols of life, growth, and renewal.”
I love the use of the word roots. I always wanted roots. But didn’t know I’d need to die first.
If you choose the tree option, I might become a sapling, then get roots, then turn into a tree. Like I said, I always wanted roots. Maybe I’d become a majestic oak, willow, cherry, or one of the other 15+ trees proffered in the ad.
If trees aren’t your thing, there are many other options. In fact, there are over 200 just on Amazon. Urns can be decorated with a coastal lighthouse — as opposed to what, the inland kind? Also with a hunter and hunting motif, which I think is truly bizarre. Or a three-dimensional buffalo.
If clutter remains a problem for you, you can launch my cremains on a one-way trip to the final frontier. Sending one gram is not like sending a whole Mom or a whole Grandma. It’s more like sending a small toe.
I just arranged for my own cremation. No reason to add any more decisions to my surviving family. I wasn't offered the tree seed option, but did get a choice of cremation containers (coffin). I asked if they had recycled Uhaul packing boxes...but no such luck. Maybe the idea of tree seeds hadn't quite caught on here in southern Arizona ?
Once again, J, you have created an original and insightful essay for our delight. As you mentioned, the whole burial industry has some strangeness to it. My father died when I was twenty, and we children had to bury him. We selected a metal casket. To this day, I cannot bear that color. Thanks for your
very pertinent take on the funeral industry.