PICAYUNE — If given the choice, would I prefer that the end of my life be instantaneous or lengthy and drawn out over a few months? These are some of the things I think about as I watch someone else go through the experience of dying or death. What is better for me, for my family?

Not that I have a choice in the matter, so basically I am wasting time worrying over the inevitable happenings of mortality. We are all gonna die. It is the manner of death that may create the most fear.

Dealing with the etiquette of death is something I have witnessed first- hand. Immediately, a crowd forms. At the time, you are not considering their motivation for attending, but later you might wonder, why was so and so there I barely knew that person.

So is the dilemma of some folks who just want to be a part of the drama, instead of an ambulance chaser, I call them the hearse chasers. When tragedy strikes, they are on the scene, addicted to the breaking news of life. Thankfully, they do blend in with the crowd of actual do-gooders who are there to comfort, to minister, and to help the situation.

The community responds during the instantaneous death of a loved one, where the shock of the moment prevents loved ones from functioning normally. Food is prepared, a broom is activated, dishes are washed and someone shepherds the stunned family into the reality of death.

I associate the smell of fried chicken with death. Someone always brings a bucket or a box.

Looking back at my personal experience, I remember a collage of concerned faces standing and sitting in my home and a dirty floor that kept getting dirtier and all I wanted to do was sweep. Gathering and food are the etiquette of tending to a family in crisis mode, but if you are not truly associated with the family, then you probably should not show up.

This is also true with calling because the other thing I remember is the phone continuously ringing— for days. As details were worked out, the phone became a necessity to get the word out. At that time, e- mailing and social networking were nonexistent. The phone became a source of information going out and in.

Most people are sensitive to this fact and refrain from well wishful calling immediately after a tragedy, but as always, there are those who do not know the rules. In every life situation, there is always those who don’t know the rules or don’t play by the rules.

I am not discouraging calls, but if you barely know the person, it might be a good idea to send a card instead. I had one strange individual, whom I only had met a couple of times in passing. Once was when I was a teenager and the other time was in the grocery store. They continued to call right after the event of my husband’s tragic death. I had phone screeners most of the time, but eventually he insisted enough to talk to me and I had to listen. I am a nice person and a patient one, but eventually I had to just hand the phone off and allow a family member to end the call. Yes, weirdo’s come out of the closet during a dramatic event.

As hard as losing one unexpectedly is, the period of awkward interaction with well meaning friends and family really is tested during the process of dying. We should always evaluate our moves when dealing with the long good-bye.

It seems the same issues come up over and over with terminal etiquette. Who needs to visit and for how long? The same hearse chasers tend to show up, but now on a regular basis. What can you do?

How can you meet the needs of a situation that is ever evolving?

Every family dealing with this should first designate a spokesperson, a friend or family member who can keep the public notified of needs, visitation requests, and the mechanics of living. This person can coordinate, stress when its good and when it’s not good to call or visit. In our age of technology, create a Facebook page and an e-mail group that can update concerned members and relay valuable information quickly and in great number.

It is appropriate to create signs for the home or hospital that state in a nice manner the ‘do not disturb’ visitation, the keep it short visitation, or come on in and tell your life story visitation.

It is great if you could hire a bouncer for some guests, but that might be rude. These are the ‘can’t take a hint’ folks who haven’t seen you in years, heard you were dying and thought they might drop by and catch you up on their life before you go! Yes, bouncers are a good thought!

Families whether in the short or long of it, always have to put up with three annoying reoccurring subjects. Although well meaning, the platitudes of trivializing the illness, dismissing the reality of the disease and making suggestions that a miracle cure is just around the corner may only aggravate the dying patient.

It is okay to tell someone healthy to live like you are dying which motivates us all to enjoy each day to the fullest, but the reality is dying mostly is filled with pain, medication, vomiting, dementia, and emotional turmoil. It isn’t always a pretty scene.

The other subject that gets on the nerves of grieving families is the death story. The first ten may not bother them, but after awhile of everyone telling you a similar tale of death, or how they have experienced the death of a loved one can begin to drill a hole in your patience. Can’t we talk about happy stuff?

I am guilty of both trivializing and death stories. This is to help you think before you decide to recreate the same scenario.

The third taboo is to take with you a sad spirit in visiting the dying or the loved ones of death. Don’t put them in the role of having to console you.

Remember, that if you feel compelled to go see someone in these situations, please go, don’t isolate the family, but try to use proper etiquette in the situations. The best rule is to be as normal as possible, if you are joker, and I am the silliest of them all, then tone it down. But by all means, visit with a smile and know that rule for humor in these situations is restricted to tasteful humor.

I deal with tense moments with humor and I laugh when I am nervous. If you can make someone smile, no matter what they are going through then I think you have done a good deed.

Everyone likes a good story about the person who is in the process  of leaving or has left, these are the words of comfort that heal. If you don’t know the person well enough to tell one, then you might be one of those who should send a card.

I have known of folks dying that keep it a secret because they don’t want their last days to turn into a circus. Sometimes just having a normal routine, quietly fading away from people’s attention makes for a peaceful way to die. You don’t have to put up with a house full of fried chicken.

For me, I think I will write a column announcing my demise, rules of engagement, create colorful neon signs, and I will hire a bouncer and a spokesperson. Will I document my long good-bye like Farah Fawcett? Only if I look good, otherwise, I might document my end with an actress to play me.

I will go out with humor and Sour- Pusses will be banned. Life is too short and too precious to waste the last scraps on folks I don’t like or don’t know.

Please don’t hesitate to minister to a grieve stricken family, but just make sure you do it knowing what the right etiquette is for their situation.

In the words of unknown, whoever he is, “It's not that life is too short, it's just that you're dead for so long.”

If you don’t survive the week, see you in the afterlife!

Tracy Williams is a syndicated columnist and can be reached at her website: myhometowncolumn.com or become a fan on Facebook at My Hometown Column.