Fire

So in class last week, we’re talking about “Family of Origin Scales,” which in a nutshell relates to how the family you grow up in, influences everything you do later in life, and how you deal with different situations. Dr. A made mention of one of those estate-planning workshops that he’s gone to, and was telling us that while his wife was talking to someone about something else, he and the woman next to him were discussing songs they would want played at their respective cremations. (All of this, to illustrate that there are many ways to deal with death and loss, and that humor can be a coping mechanism.) the following are the three examples he shared with us:

“Light My Fire” – The Doors
“Great Balls of Fire” – Jerry Lee Lewis
“Proud Mary” – Tina Turner (as in, “Proud Mary keep on burnin’”)

Now me, I can get into this type of thing. In the near future, if I haven’t done it already (I desperately need to scan my own archives) I’ll tell you all about how my family handles death. Suffice it to say, Dr. A and I are on the same wavelength. So I’ve added to his list of Cremation Theme Songs:

“Fire” – Jimi Hendrix (as in, “let me stand next to your…”)
“Ring of Fire” – Johnny Cash
“Burnin’ For You” – Blue Oyster Cult
“All Fired Up” – Pat Benatar
“Fire Down Below” – Bob Seger
Any song from Def Leppard from the Pyromania album, or with the word “pyromania” in it
“Disco Inferno” – The Trammps
“Through the Fire” – Chaka Khan
“Standing Outside the Fire” – Garth Brooks
“Fire” – The Pointer Sisters (or better yet, Robin Williams as Elmer Fudd)
and of course:
“You Light Up My Life” – Debby Boone

As usual, I welcome all suggestions in case I may have made a glaring error of omission. Now go about your business… and keep the home fires burning!