TheEnglishUndertaker

Oxfordshire based Funeral Director. All thoughts, observations and opinions are my own and not necessarily those of any company or persons I am linked to.

[Dr Rachel Clarke @doctor_oxford]

It was a great pleasure to contribute to this Guardian “The Experts” piece on what death can teach us about how to live.

I’m not sure anyone can ever truly be an expert on mortality, but here are my personal top 4 lessons, distilled from everything my patients have taught me as palliative care doctor:

1. Prioritise people, not things

“As you approach the end of life, all the irrelevant stuff is stripped away. No one cares about how much power they had, how big their house is, how fancy their car is, how much status they had at work. What they care about is the people they love. The way to live a life that is rich and deeply fulfilling is to build human connections. That matters more than anything else.”

2. Don’t worry about signs of ageing

“The wrinkles, grey hairs & menopausal body I now possess are all things that society wants us to feel distressed about - because they want to make money selling products to try to fix our distress. All of those stigmas associated with ageing are a blessing and a privilege to have. Anybody who is old enough to feel anxious about those things should be saying: ‘I am so lucky. I have lived long enough to creak when I get out of bed in the morning.’”

3. Connect with other living things

“The richness of life comes from our relations with other living creatures, human & non-human. It could be animals or birds or plants, but it is living connections with the wider world that give life meaning. The more you can pour yourself into those connections, the more likely you are to have a deep sense of contentment & happiness.”

4. Try to stay healthy – but don’t let that limit your life

“We try to stay healthy so we can function as well as we can for as long as we can. But ascetic lives are pretty hard and constrained. That is the opposite of life. Life is something to savour. So, don’t beat yourself up for things that are often construed as minor sins of living, like eating delicious food & drinking beautiful wine. We are sensual creatures & celebrating that is part of living life richly. Health means enjoying life, not just living it for as long as possible.”

[Stuart Coulter @Swrcsky]

Autosport 26/07/01 - Mark Hughes's interview with Eddie Irvine, who as always has plenty to say about his rivals (and why he's better than Hakkinen 😂) and about the F1 lifestyle more generally, but is also quite candid about the struggles at Jaguar this season

[TheEnglishUndertaker @EngUndertaker]

@TomClarksonF1 I am not sure how far ahead you plan your guests, I expect very far. However I had the great fortune of attending an evening with Jim Barker at @WilliamsF1 He would be such an interesting guest on #beyondthegrid

[TheEnglishUndertaker @EngUndertaker]

@wearetherace what happened to the feature on the website that would read the article out? It was so helpful.

[TheEnglishUndertaker @EngUndertaker]

@WilliamsRacing Can I say a big thank you to the heritage team who arranged for these legendary drivers to sign my 1992 Cannon Willimas magazine. Really appreciate that they got the drivers to sign it. Thank You.

[TheEnglishUndertaker @EngUndertaker]

@OC I was given 2 years to live last January. Music for my funeral is suddenly very important to me.

[clara @leclercsletters]

not toto fighting james vowles from the balcony 😭😭😭

[TheEnglishUndertaker @EngUndertaker]

@HillF1 would you be able to sign this for me?

[Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis @ActionPFcharity]

If you're planning a #holiday and you need oxygen at home, you’ll need to arrange oxygen for travelling.

We have a travel guide that will help you think ahead about your needs so you can enjoy your holiday:
https://t.co/NwIe4AnTOG

#pulmonaryfibrosis #ild

[Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis @ActionPFcharity]

If you're affected by PF and would like to help us provide PF information resources to people like you, we have an Information Guidance Group you can join. Your involvement ensures that what we create is relevant to people's experiences.

https://t.co/xDLNeoTPfL

[TheEnglishUndertaker @EngUndertaker]

@CR_UK Hi we are taking part in Shine Walk London tomorrow. We have signed up to do the 1/2 marathon. If we wanted can we change to the full?

[TheEnglishUndertaker @EngUndertaker]

@wolfiedarts Would you please consider sharing my fundraising page? I am a Funeral Director in Oxford. Myself and a colleague are taking part in Shine Walk London. A overnight walking marathon to raise funds for @CR_UK thank you for your help. https://t.co/3faY5YWcRP

[TheEnglishUndertaker @EngUndertaker]

@wilw Would you please consider sharing my fundraising page? I am a Funeral Director in Oxford. Myself and a colleague are taking part in Shine Walk London. A overnight walking marathon to raise funds for @CR_UK thank you for your help. https://t.co/3faY5YWcRP

[TheEnglishUndertaker @EngUndertaker]

@IAmChrisRamsey Would you please consider sharing my fundraising page? I am a Funeral Director in Oxford. Myself and a colleague are taking part in Shine Walk London. A overnight walking marathon to raise funds for @CR_UK thank you for your help. https://t.co/3faY5YWcRP

[TheEnglishUndertaker @EngUndertaker]

@markwil147 Would you please consider sharing my fundraising page? I am a Funeral Director in Oxford. Myself and a colleague are taking part in Shine Walk London. A overnight walking marathon to raise funds for @CR_UK thank you for your help. https://t.co/3faY5YWcRP

[TheEnglishUndertaker @EngUndertaker]

@russellhoward Would you please consider sharing my fundraising page? I am a Funeral Director in Oxford. Myself and a colleague are taking part in Shine Walk London. A overnight walking marathon to raise funds for @CR_UK thank you for your help. https://t.co/3faY5YWcRP

[TheEnglishUndertaker @EngUndertaker]

@DBSmithjr Would you please consider sharing my fundraising page? I am a Funeral Director in Oxford. Myself and a colleague are taking part in Shine Walk London. A overnight walking marathon to raise funds for @CR_UK thank you for your help. https://t.co/3faY5YWcRP

[TheEnglishUndertaker @EngUndertaker]

@TomClarksonF1 Would you please consider sharing my fundraising page? I am a Funeral Director in Oxford. Myself and a colleague are taking part in Shine Walk London. A overnight walking marathon to raise funds for @CR_UK thank you for your help.
https://t.co/3faY5YWcRP

[TheEnglishUndertaker @EngUndertaker]

@jackwhitehall Would you please consider sharing my fundraising page? I am a Funeral Director in Oxford. Myself and a colleague are taking part in Shine Walk London. A overnight walking marathon to raise funds for @CR_UK thank you for your help. https://t.co/3faY5YWcRP

[TheEnglishUndertaker @EngUndertaker]

@GeorgeRussell63 and Would you please consider sharing my fundraising page? I am a Funeral Director from Wantage. Myself and a colleague are taking part in Shine Walk London. A overnight walking marathon to raise funds for @CR_UK thank you. https://t.co/3faY5YWcRP