August 10, 2025: The Sunlit Shore

I desire a simple funeral.

No church service or casket. No crowd in neat rows. I want my send-off to feel like a gathering rather than an event to be managed.

Just scatter my ashes in the ocean at a nice beach somewhere. Enjoy the quiet breeze, the sound of waves, and maybe a glorious sunset.

Then, go out for a good meal. Tell the stories that make you smile. Laugh at the old jokes we’ve told a hundred times before. Let the day overflow with gratitude for the time we had without being an obligation to mark its ending.

Recently, I read about Brooke Hogan choosing not to attend the funeral ceremony of her father, Hulk Hogan. She explained her desire to honor him privately because he hated formality.

So she went to a beach he loved and took a picture of herself, her husband, and her twin babies playing in the sand together. In doing so, she honored her dad’s memory in a way that felt the most authentic.

Sounds good to me.

After I kick the bucket, don’t mourn in some chapel. Go to the oceanfront. Find me in the salt air and the sunlight on the waves.

And if you need to have music, may I suggest “Staying Alive” by the Bee Gees.