ANOTHER
ORDINARY DAY
7:30 P.M. – 10:45 P.M.
Friends and acquaintances are invited to gather and remember ANOTHER ORDINARY DAY whose quiet passing has left us with considerably fewer ordinary days than we once imagined we had.
Regarding the Evening
The observances will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. with the Wake for Another Ordinary Day and continue until 10:45 p.m.
For a while, we will observe the customs of mourning: quiet conversation, food and drink, music, remembrance, and a few words for the deceased. Guests will have an opportunity, should they wish, to offer a remembrance of Another Ordinary Day.
Then, as the wake draws to a close, the period of formal mourning will come to an end. The evening will move outdoors, where what began as a wake will become a celebration of the days we still have.
Attire
After Mourning attire is requested.
A Halloween interpretation is entirely appropriate.
Arrival
Guests are asked to arrive at 7:30 p.m.
Not before. Not after.
Friends and family are welcome to accompany you. There is no need for an exact accounting, but a general headcount will help us make suitable provisions for the living.
For the Bereaved
In keeping with the customs of a wake, those attending are invited to bring something to share:
Food or a casserole
Non-alcoholic drinks
Alcoholic drinks
There will be an opportunity to indicate what you intend to bring when you RSVP.
For the Deceased
We also ask every mourner to bring one ordinary object from an ordinary day.
Nothing valuable.
Nothing extraordinary.
A receipt. A grocery list. A coffee mug. A pencil. A button. A photograph. A ticket stub. A note left on the refrigerator.
Something that belongs to the unremarkable business of being alive.
These objects will be placed with the deceased.
The Afterlife
There will be an optional afterparty screening of Yellow Submarine, with popcorn, snacks, and cozy blankets, from 11:00 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
If needed, there will also be soft places to lay your head until morning.
The favor of a reply, whether attending or not, is kindly requested.
YOUR ATTENDANCE HAS BEEN RECORDED
Thank you.
Please arrive at seven-thirty.
Bring something for the bereaved.
Bring something for the deceased.
And, until then, take some notice of the ordinary days that remain.
YOUR REGRETS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED
Another Ordinary Day would have understood.
He was accustomed to being overlooked.