On eulogies

Eulogies are tough. They need to resonate with a wide audience that has little in common apart from the person that they're there to honor. The best ones balance being somber with moments of lightheartedness. In combination, eulogies should portray best (and hopefully many) facets of a person.

Working backwards, how much time do you want people to spend recounting your professional accomplishments versus the role you played in your extended family or with your friends?

I hope there won't be much need to talk about my professional accomplishments at my funeral. Ideally, these aspects of my life will go without saying. I want people to focus on times that we laughed together, my quirks, missions I started but hadn't finished, and hopefully useful lessons I'd shared.

Funerals are sad occasions, but they're also important opportunities to celebrate and remember.