On Tuesday, August 23, 2016 at 11:52:39 AM UTC-10, Nancy Young wrote:
> On 8/23/2016 5:02 PM, sf wrote:
>
> > So what? Have you never been to a zoo? There are benches for people
> > to sit on and enjoy watching the animals at their leisure. Those
> > benches are often sponsored/donated, and the donor gets a plaque with
> > their name on it (if they wish). I have used many such benches at the
> > zoo and in City parks.
>
> I thought if I was to be buried, I'd like my headstone to be
> a bench. I think I saw that in Midnight in the Garden of Good
> and Evil and it struck my fancy.

That's a very practical idea. Some things, like the impermanence of life, are best contemplated sitting down.

>
> Someone wrote to a column, complaining about kids of visitors
> running around and playing in the cemetery, how disrespectful
> to the deceased. I thought If the dead people knew, most of
> them would be Finally! something fun around here.

I once saw a family sitting around a grave with a big spread, including a whole suckling pig. They even set off firecrackers at the grave. Obviously, they were a Chinese family.

>
> I don't want to be buried at all, so a bench or something
> nice like that would suit me just fine.
>
> nancy

My grandparents and aunts were Buddhists, and they have funeral services every few years. I've been going to them since I was a little kid. I believe the last one is at 75 years or so. OTOH, the family will get together for the observance and afterwards, have a bite to eat. It's one of the few times I get to see them. Perhaps that's the whole point of it.