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What do you imagine your death will look like? 

It’s not a morbid or depressing question to Alua Arthur. She’s a death doula, and she firmly believes that giving thought to that question is the key to living a meaningful life. 

Arthur herself thinks about dying a lot. As she tells Kerri Miller on this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas, she has detailed plans for what she’d like her deathbed to be like. But more importantly, she says living with an awareness of mortality helps her live with intention.

“Every day that I live is a day that I can get closer to the life that I actually want,” she says. 

Arthur’s new book, “Briefly Perfectly Human” is both memoir and a surprisingly joyful treatise on why facing mortality is the key to living well. Don’t miss this wise, tender and inspiring conversation. 

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In her work as a death doula, Alua Arthur has been present for thousands of deaths. Her new book, “Briefly Perfectly Human,” says facing your mortality is the best way to live a purposeful and joyful life.

Alua Arthur says facing death is the key to living well

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