I Do It For Love

I truly appreciate each and every one of you who checks out what’s new on I Do Death each week. I especially love those of you who yell at me when I’m being lazy and try to skip a week or two. Thanks for holding me accountable and forcing me to be consistent.Since Valentine’s Day is this week, I figured, what the hell. Let’s talk a little about love. So here we are:

5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE DATING A FUNERAL DIRECTOR*cues terrifying music*

1. We are busy

We are the shepherds that families trust to guide them through what is the hardest time of their lives. This means that we may not text back quickly, or return phone calls (sorry). Our days don’t always end when they are expected to, and our weekends are sometimes (often) filled with funeral services.2. We need to vent ( and you need to be able to take it).Our job is hard, and sometimes, we need to talk about it. So often I’ve heard “Can we not talk about this?” We get it. Death is weird, and hard to talk about, but if we can listen to you go on and on about what Susan from HR said about your spreadsheet, you can stomach listening to why we’re pissed off at the embalmer.3. We give all of our emotional energy to others and are often left drained.Not every death is a 90 year old woman who lived a long life. We’ve seen, heard, and quite frankly, smelled it all. It is our responsibility to be that steady shoulder for that family, and giving that amount of compassion, and care for hours at a time to complete strangers can leave little left over for the rest of the people in our lives. Your patience is appreciated, even if we don’t always express that.

4. We never turn off. 

The thing about Death is that it doesn’t conform to the 9-5 schedule that most occupations adhere to. Not only could a “first-call” come in at any time, we run into our families during our daily lives. (Years ago, I was once approached in a bar by a young woman who said she remembered me from her grandmother’s service. Yikes.)

5. We love hard. 

Doing death on a daily basis forces us to face our own mortality. When that happens, we tend to cling tighter to what really matters and appreciate who we have in our lives.So, there you have it. My attempt at trying to warn you lol. Now go on out there and get you a Wednesday Addams.Be well.