The decision of whether to get buried or cremated can be a difficult one. No one likes to think about their death and the idea of being six feet underground – or burned to ashes – is not one that any of us like to consider in our quiet evenings in.
Still, it’s an important decision to make one way or another because it ultimately will save others from having to decide for you which is an unfair position to put them in.
Something which may help you make up your mind then is to think about all of the exciting and amazing things that you can have done with your ashes. If the idea of sitting on someone’s windowsill is putting you off of going the cremation route, then rest assured that there are many other more exciting options for you to consider…
Here are some of the best:
Going Into Space: One of the most amazing things you can do once you’ve been cremated is to visit space. There are actually a number of companies now that offer to send remains into space, and there was even a Kickstarter project doing it at one point if you like the idea of going DIY with it. Either way you can hereby explore two new frontiers at the same time…
Getting Scattered: If going into space is a little unconventional for you, then it’s actually relatively common to be scattered somewhere terrestrial and here your options are normally to pick somewhere familiar that you enjoyed spending time in life, or to pick somewhere exciting that you wanted to visit or that speaks to you. You can even use this as a way to complete your bucket list (which is actually something that happened in the film of that name).
Becoming Jewellery: As your body is made of carbon, that means it’s actually made from the same stuff as diamonds. And that means that you can actually have your ashes turned to diamond if you so wish. That way you could then let a loved one wear you on a piece of jewellery (diamonds really are a girl’s best friend in some cases…) or you could just take satisfaction in the knowledge that you are now the hardest thing known to man.
Becoming Ink: An option that’s pretty different from becoming diamond is to become… ink. Now that may sound like a relatively boring option, but if you think about all of the things you can do with ink you should realise it’s actually quite an adventurous and artistic option in many ways.
By becoming ink you then enable yourself to be used in a pen, by a paint brush, or by a tattoo artist’s needle. That way you can become a poem, a work of art, a story or a part of someone who loved you in life and wants to remember you. That’s if you don’t find the thought of that too disturbing that is…
Growing a Tree: All fertiliser is is organic matter that plants and trees are able to use for other purposes. That means that your ashes can make great fertiliser for a tree, and if you use them and plant a new seed, it will be a fantastic example of the circle of life and a great legacy to leave behind instead of a gravestone. Once you’re big enough, someone can carve your name there…
Become an Object: In the modern digital age you have many more options for what you want to do with your ashes than ever before, and a perfect example of this is the option to turn your remains into a resin that can be used by a 3D printer. That way you can turn your ashes into literally anything else you could think of!
Creative Uses: Those are some popular options for using your ashes, but really the sky is the limit in terms of what you want to do. One fantastic example of using ashes creatively that someone used was to fill an hour glass. The creator of Pringles packaging meanwhile opted to have their ashes kept in a Pringles pot and buried. One person was even incorporated into the ink for a comic book. So don’t feel like you have to go the obvious route with your ashes – be adventurous and you may come up with something that you’ll be remembered for and that will be a more fitting end for the life you’ve lived!