Hello! At 35:00 we discuss a submission to the Things I’ve Never Said segment which comes with a trigger warning around suicidal thoughts. To the listener who submitted it: you are cared for, you are as deserving as anyone else to be here drawing breath. No matter how logical it seems, you not being around is not easier or better for anyone. Steve and I really, truly, want you to get help.

I’ve put numbers for each state and websites you can use in the show notes; take care of yourself.

In this episode we talk about the one thing we can all be certain of: death. Which also happens to be the thing that we have the least certainty about. Hooray for the absurdities of life! While the topic is heavy and somewhat macabre, Steve and I manage to have a good laugh as we figure out this whole mortality situation. I hope you do too.

Steve Pirie is a stellar human and I am so excited to have him back on the podcast. You can discover the joy of his work by coming to the QPDA reading of his show “Return to The Dirt” on April 8th at QT here in Brisbane. Come along, it’s going to be a good time (lots of death, but also laughs).

This is an episode I really enjoyed creating, let me know what part of it you found most valuable!

Keep well,

-Paula

EPISODE NOTES:

Things We Mentioned

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Where to get help if this episode made you uneasy

Crisis lines

Support is available for anyone who may be distressed: Lifeline 13 11 14; Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800; Suicide Call Back Service - 24/7 Helpline 1300 659 467. If you or someone you know requires immediate assistance, please call Emergency Services (000) or Lifeline (13 11 14).

Other Places you can access mental health help and resources:

Australia Wide:

Lifeline 13 11 14

Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636

Kids Help Line: 1800 55 1800 (this is for anyone between 13 and 25)

MensLine Australia: 1300 78 99 78 (for men of any age)

QLD

MH Health: 1300 642255

NSW

Mental Health Line: 1800 011 511

VIC

Suicide Help Line: 1300 651 251

WA

Mental Health Emergency Response Line: 1800 676 822

SA

Mental Health Assessment and Crisis Intervention Service: 13 14 65

NT

Top End Mental Health Service: 08 8999 4988

ACT

Click here for more mental health services

Mental Health Triage Service: 1800 629 354 OR 02 6205 1065

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The grieving process, or: the quiet after the funeral. This is complicated, not linear, and honestly so personal there is no one way to do it. An amazing podcast in general, but particularly if you are grieving, is Griefcast

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Does your debt die with you in Australia? Mostly. There are a lot of variables, but yes. If you have a lot of debt and you die, as long as that debt is not in someone else’s name as well (eg. A joint loan for a mortgage or something) then it will be written off by the lender when you die after every attempt has been made to pay it off using your estate. Your estate is all of the stuff you leave behind; your house, your clothes, your stamp collection, your car, your phone, your share portfolio, etc. Here is an article which goes through it really well but focusses mostly on mortages, and here is one by Canstar which talks about credit card debt.

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Look I couldn’t find a good enough how-to that didn’t have a paywall or a weird site name, so here is a wikihow on how to write your own eulogy

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Class exists even when you die because there are financial hurdles with funerals. Here’s a fun little article by Budget Direct (with infographics) about the costs of funerals across burial methods and capital cities.

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The book I was trying to think of with the Fairy Blackstick is The Rose and The Ring by William Makepeace Thackeray. Yup that is his real name, I shit you not. OMG YOU GUYS I found a free e-book of it! Lookit!

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The quote “Don’t take life too seriously. No one gets out alive anyway.” Is actually from Sydney J. Harris.

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According to Beyond Blue, in any one year, 1 million Australian adults have depression. And while not all those who are depressed are suicidal, it’s very handy to know what it means, and what suicidal ideation is. This is a very handy resource that isn’t icky or wordy or boring or condescending. There are also some great mental health resources at the bottom of the page too.

Want to see Steve’s show? Me too! Get your tickets here and be there at Queensland Theatre on April 8th! I’ll be there, come hang out and talk about existentialism in the foyer with me!

You can find Steve here:

On Instagram

Or read his shmancy Australian Plays writer bio, and you can get your hands on a piece of Steve’s wonderful creative heart and mind here at Playlab.

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Produced by That’s Not Canon Productions. Graphics by Claudia Piggott. Music by Jessica Fletcher.

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