I love working, but I love vacations, too.
by littlemissfuneral
I’ve just returned from a wonderful eight-day vacation to the beach.
I had a mental countdown to said vacation starting a few weeks prior. I don’t think my body and mind realized how badly this break was needed until then. Work had been extremely busy. It was in fact, so ridiculous that I had to keep repeating little reminders to myself, such as, “Lauren, it’s okay, you only have nine more days of work” and so on.
I love working. When I was fourteen and fifteen, I got a summer job in an office where my mom worked, putting in the 8am-4pm hours Monday thru Friday. I filed paperwork, ran to the mailroom and basically did anything else that a young teen couldn’t drastically mess up. I got my first ‘real’ job working at Dunkin Donuts when I was sixteen, waking up way earlier than I wanted to on the weekends. Eventually, (well, after two years of not having a single day to sleep in or rest) I switched directions and ended up working in retail. With both Dunkin and my retail work, I can say I was never bored.
I think it’s so easy for me to be a funeral director for a few reasons. First, I love talking to people and I love helping others. This job allows me to do both. Second, I never know what the day will bring which keeps me interested. I have experienced so many different emotions throughout my career, but boredom has never been one of them. I never wanted an 8am-4pm and I definitely got what I wanted.
That being said, breaks are still needed. I began to mentally check out about a week before my vacation. I couldn’t help it. I had gone too strong for too long and my body couldn’t go on at the same speed. So on day one I did what any funeral director would do. I answered a few calls from work and quickly fixed a few problems (and gave some encouragement) over the phone. Day two, three and four I kept checking my answering service and emails, even though I was not on call. I live with my phone attached to my hand, so it is difficult to stop such a habit, no matter how badly you want to. Eventually, I learned to let go and relax, only to find that my time away was over quicker than I would have liked it to be.
I spend so much of my time worrying about and helping other people, that I sometimes don’t know how to spend time on myself. It is not a crime, to be selfish. It is a necessity in this business if you want to be happy and healthy. You need to know when to take care of yourself and when to turn off the phone. I am constantly finding new ways to relax and unwind, but guys, I have to tell you; listening to the waves roll in and out really does wonders.
Lauren, so much has changed in funeral service since I started my journney in 1978. Some changes make it easier, but some make it more difficult. I’m glad to hear you are taking care of yourself as that is often something we forget to do. Make time for your husband a priority and don’t let that slip away. Remember, Life is short. Dead is for a very long time. Enjoy life…