When I Die, I'm Really Going to Miss Mint Jelly — In Conversation with Diane Button

What do we reach for when time gets short? Not the accomplishments. Not the carefully managed image. Something simpler. Something we wish we'd said out loud sooner.This conversation is for anyone who has been putting off a conversation they know they need to have. Which is most of us.The conversation doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to start.Guest: Diane Button End-of-Life Doula | Author | Educator | Founder, Bay Area ELDA UVM End-of-Life Doula Certificate Program InstructorWhat we talk about in this episode:The mint jelly story — how a grandfather's final meal and a single sentence launched Diane's career in end-of-life work.The doula bag — what happened when Diane showed up to Floyd Barker's house with 100 questions on a clipboard and a bag full of supplies, and never opened either one.The vigil plan — why asking someone what they want their final hours to look like is one of the most important conversations you can have, and why the answers will surprise you.The gap — what it actually costs people when advance directives go unsigned, relationships go unhealed, and words go unsaid. From someone who has watched it happen.The Final Checklist — six questions Diane distilled from a hundred. She asks them of her clients. She asks them of herself. Every month. They will stop you cold.Death is just one day — why Diane calls herself an end-of-life doula, not a death doula, and why that distinction matters more than it might seem.The six questions:Who matters most?What matters most?What is left unsaid?What is left undone?What are you worrying about when you're lying awake at night?What brings you joy in the daytime?Diane's book: What Matters Most by Diane Button — find it on Trish's curated booklist for end-of-life reading at Graceful Transitions: 👉 https://bookshop.org/lists/for-graceful-transitions-an-end-of-life-doula-a-curated-booklistThe voice changes in this episode are due to 'operator error,' and I had to re-record 8 minutes as a result. I am learning a lot about editing and polishing. Onward with CHEERS and sincere appreciation.About the podcast: In Conversation with an End-of-Life Specialist is hosted by Patricia (Trish) Sears, an End-of-Life Navigator and founder of Graceful Transitions in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, serving globally. New episodes are recorded live on the third Wednesday of each month, 4p –5p ET, with a live Q&A for Graceful Lifers.Join the Graceful Lifers community at Substack for exclusive invitations to join live audience and Q&A sessions with guests and deeper conversations about navigating life's thresholds.You can find the hub of Graceful Transitions' work at Linktr.ee/pmsears