Next Job: Funeral Parlor

Ok so my ‘mom’ is a bit neurotic but in a kind, harmless, she-means-well way.  Today she told me that she used to work in a funeral parlor. Ok? She seems to have had many different occupations in her life because she has also worked in a library and on an archeological dig  – all of which are fitting and pretty cool. 

So I do not know how we started talking about funeral parlors, but anyway she said that about 5 years ago it was extremely hot in Paris. It was August and a lot of shops, families, businesses were closed because it is when people leave town for holidays – ok fine I can see that.  But then she throws this out – That summer a lot of people died. Um ok. What?? Doctor, Doctor…Neurosis? Clearly.

I questioned her statement of people just croaking from the heat. She said yes because a lot of old people were by themselves, no one was around to take care of them, places were closed, etc, etc. Ok whatever. So people were dying in mass quantities that summer.

Needless-to-say business was good for the funeral parlors. Sick yes, but true. :) She said she was working nights and days and people were coming by (avec ou sans the dead I’m not sure – I decided it be best not to go there in fears of ruining our afternoon cafe).

But then she said something very profound to me, which seems to be always the way with genius v. insanity – straddling the line leaning more towards the latter and then out of nowhere shit becomes way too clear.  We had been speaking earlier of work ethic because she just had a tiff with the phone repair shop man. So she said you have to work hard in a funeral home – there is no choice. At first, I was thinking why is that different from any other job – but then it all started to meld. There is not much time so you have to be prepared and speedy. But also you have to be conscious and attentive of the person’s family.  There is hardly any room for mistakes with an immense amount of unspoken pressure because basically you are indirectly hot-potatoing people’s emotions and pain as they go through humanity’s hardest pathos.

So of course you can go through half-assing preparing the dead but it seems as if there are far worse consequences in this particular setting. So she said for all the people out there who are lazy and don’t work hard, would they treat their job the same if they were in a funeral home working on someone whom they knew. Well damn. That’s a new way of looking at things.

Moral of the Story: Whatever you are doing, whatever your career/work/activity/energy you are putting forth – Act like you are in charge of burying someone you love and then think about if you are working as hard in your current situation as you would be in that situation. Probably not, but if you are, at least the dead will be smiling upon you…