Dying Is Not a Failure — It’s How We Complete Our Living

Most of us get through life on a steady diet of conversations—big ones, small ones, awkward ones, even the ones we’d rather avoid. But when it comes to the conversations that matter most at the end of life? Suddenly everyone goes quiet.

I’ve watched people I care about tiptoe toward these talks with their families, partners, and clinicians—gently, lovingly, and with the best intentions. And I’ve watched some of those attempts be met with resistance, deflection, or outright shutdown.

It’s disheartening and disappointing. It’s also human.
And it’s also our reminder: dying deserves as much honesty and communication as living.