Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Funerals

My friend's brother died.

This morning I went to the funeral to support my friend, but I didn't know her brother at all. When I pulled into the parking lot, I realized just how much I did not know him. LOTS of people arrived in Antique Cars, Roadsters, Race Cars, Classics, and otherwise beautiful vehicles. They were painted amazing colors and clearly spit polished. The chrome shined. The drivers wore their racing t-shirts from various racing events. The men had really cool sideburns, and the women had big boobs.

I arrived in my filthy Ford Focus with a bug spattered cracked windshield. I wore black slacks and a nice modest blue shirt.

I was embarrassed about my car. ...

But it got me to thinking (because we-writerly-folk do that):
1. Who would show up at my funeral ... and would any of them have significant personas like this family of racers and car lovers?
2. Who would show up at my characters' funerals ... and would any of them have eclectic styles?

Do you associate with interesting people? Do you have interesting friends? What about the characters you create when you write? Are they all average and boring?

I really like interesting people ... but not enough to go out and race a car.

6 comments:

  1. My friends aren't as colorful as that bunch, but I have many interests and am blessed to have a group of friends associated with each interest. My friends also come from all different backgrounds, so some of them would definitely be more interesting to look at than others.

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  2. Writers do think of weird things at odd times. I guess it's why we write, to get it out.

    We have a wide variety of friends from pastors to plumbers. There's no telling what the parking lot would look like. I just hope it would be full.

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  3. Sorry for your friend's loss. That is tragic :(

    As for who'd show up at my funeral, yep, there'd be a nice eclectic bunch :) I would hope they would all turn up, anyway. ha.

    Characters? That is a pretty cool question, and actually sort of a bit of a writing prompt, if one chose to take it that way!

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  4. Hmm, I like your questions, very interesting.

    The most interesting people I know are in the blogs.

    ........dhole

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  5. I'm not sure who all would show up at my funeral, but I think it's fair to say that there would be a huge gamut of people, from those covered in horse dirt to farmers in overalls to Goths in all black and bedecked with tats and chrome in various piercings to my cousin in her Patent Office pinstripes. I just know so many people of so many kinds. And, I have to tell you, there would be plenty of laughter and joking because my family is that of a funeral director, and it's just how we roll to celebrate the life that was, rather than mourn the life that's over.

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  6. Hi Margo, so sorry for your friend's loss.

    Your post got me thinking about some of the funerals I've been to and the things you learn about a person after they have passed on, by talking to others.

    I remember seeing a funeral procession where there were a lot of motorcycles. I figured that the deceased must have belongs to a biker club.

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