The Distance is one of my favorite podcasts these days. Each 15-minute show features a business that has been around at least 25 years, because as exciting as new things are, there’s a lot to be learned from businesses that make it work for the long haul.
A recent episode featured The Peter Troost Monument Company, which has been making grave markers, headstones and mausoleums in the Chicago area since 1889.
In it, fifth-generation president Lisa Troost talks about how many people think her business would be very depressing, when in reality she sees it the opposite way: she’s helping people work through how to best remember and honor their loved ones. The most common emotion she sees among her customers? Relief.
This resonated a lot with me, and what we’re trying to help people with at Gracious Exit. Because thinking through how you want to be remembered doesn’t have to be depressing; on the contrary it can be a huge weight off your shoulders, and even an uplifting experience.
As Lisa says at the start of the episode, commenting on an interesting epitaph: “That sounds like it would have been a neat person to know.”
You can check out the episode here:
https://soundcloud.com/the-distance-podcast/15-grave-matters