In Case You Get Hit By a Bus [Abby Schneiderman & Adam Seifer]

It’s (really) your funeral…

You know, after finishing Abby Schneiderman and Adam Seifer’s In Case You Get Hit By a Bus, I realized something. There’s a reason why all of this stuff is usually handled by professionals. As monumentally beneficial it is to be aware of all this information, it is extremely overwhelming. Quite frankly, the first chapter alone, on passwords, of all things, was a huge undertaking.

Death is Stressful

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I really don’t think there’s any other way to put it. Even before you’re dead, your death is stressful. This is probably why a lot of people put off thinking about it. And honestly, I’m only a few years shy of 30. By all accounts, I shouldn’t really need to think about this for a long time now. But, when it comes down to it, accidents happen.

And, much to my personal dismay, there is a lot involved with figuring out what comes next after a person dies. I’m honestly annoyed as hell about the finances involved. Frankly, I think it should be simple and not require family members to pay anything; but then, I’m honestly of the mind that graveyards are a waste of space and the only reasonable use of a body after death is donation to science. So, I recognize that I’m probably in the minority here. That said, the conclusion I’ve come to is that death is a stressful and, unfortunately, expensive time for a lot of people.

And, theoretically, this book is supposed to make it easier.

My Experience

For me, this book was overwhelming. I moved from one topic to the next reading this in perhaps the worst way possible: like I’d read a novel.

Let’s just say, the way to get through this book isn’t to just read through it. You’re gonna want to pause periodically every couple of pages or chapters to go back, reread, and work through the topics. And I’ll be honest, I didn’t really feel like doing that when I read this book. As it is, when I sat down to simply compile all my passwords together I just about started screaming in frustration. And yeah, this is probably a sign that I should do what the book says and get a password manager.

Regardless, as I said before, there’s a reason you get other people involved in setting up all this after-death planning stuff. There’s simply so much involved that you can’t get through it without some stress and help from others. Which, brings me to the entire purpose of this book: promoting their website.

Everplans

So, the authors of this book also run a website called Everplans. This website basically breaks down sections of the book into a format that allows you to input all of this information in one place for the people you leave behind to have easy access. You go through organized lists of the very concepts in this book. I’ll say this much, the website is much less overwhelming. The problem? It costs $75 a year. And part of me very seriously wonders if that’s worth the price.

In the end, I’m left feeling overwhelmed, disappointed that the easier option requires a subscription fee, and not at all ready to tackle my death plan. But, admittedly, part of that is influenced by my own inability to find time for other important things in my life. Adding this on right now would just be incredibly difficult.

Ultimately, I think the book is a decent one. And it’s certainly something that you’ll have to tackle in pieces. And you’ll probably want to do it with a partner. But, I dunno…next time, I think I’d want a book with pages I can fill out the information into rather than relying on the companion website that I don’t want to pay for.