New Girl, a FOX TV sitcom, recently featured an Elvis-themed funeral for the father of one of the characters. A few things I noticed about the interactions of the characters:
- Stress about pulling everything together for a funeral on short notice – the father died of a heart attack.
- Stress about writing a eulogy.
- Stress about dealing with family dynamics.
- Stress about pricing Elvis impersonators (they don’t come cheap).
Stress, stress and more stress comes with the territory when no funeral planning has taken place before there’s a death in the family. At least someone knew that dad would have wanted an Elvis-themed funeral.
And music is eternally soothing at funerals. Even the really hard-to-sing Elvis song “In the Ghetto” provides solace. Everyone joins in on the chorus, and conflicts are resolved.
Of course, this is a sitcom, where real life does not necessarily imitate art. Do everyone a favor and start a conversation today. Remember, talking about sex won’t make you pregnant, and talking about funerals won’t make you dead.