Never Not On

Have you ever been to Disneyland? A systematically designed utopia for not only those who barely reach knee-height, but for the overexcited child in each of us. Between the parades, rides, and interactive attractions, Disneyland has something for everyone.I want to talk about one group of Disney natives. The princesses.Recently I learned (not quite sure how true this is, but it sure is interesting) that if one of the Disney princesses is recognized by a child outside of the park, they are expected to go into character.Random 4 year old : Snow White? Doth mine eyes deceive me? Is that you? Whatever are you doing venturing to Trader Joes on a Sunday evening?Snow White: Ahh yes, it is me! Those dwarves sure love their cookie butter! I dressed like a modern girl to blend in! Promise you’ll keep my secret?Random 4 year old: I’m 4, so no, but I’ll say yes for the sake of the point Shannan is trying to make in this post.The life of a Disney Princess is a rough one. They’re never, not on.The same can be said for a Funeral Director. We are never, not on.I remember celebrating a friend’s 21st birthday at a bar some years ago. I’d just ordered a round of shots only to be recognized by the bartender. I’d buried her mother the previous year.As I’m sure you can imagine, run-ins like that tend to be incredibly sobering. We chatted for a few minutes, she wouldn’t accept my card and offered the drinks on the house, and we went our separate ways.This is not a job or even a career. It’s a calling. A life choice. Serving as a Funeral Director is not what we do, it’s who we are.