IAMaMorticianAMA

My life is pretty much my job. I am on call every other night, and every other weekend. Death does not happen during business hours exclusively, and it does not occur at a steady pace. Sometimes, if we're busy, I just have to work. It doesn't matter who is on call, or what plans I have made in my personal life. Also, nobody cares that I may have only gotten two hours of sleep last night. I still have to give 100% to the families I'm working with. They only get one chance to have a meaningful service, and that can be a big responsibility when you're sleep deprived, over-worked and stressed out.

I actually really like to sing, so I sing a lot. I sing along with the congregational hymns during the service. Also, I always play music on my ipod or listen to the radio when I'm embalming. One time I could only get the classic rock station, and started singing along to Bon Jovi "Shot through the heart, and you're to blame. Myrtle, you give love a bad name!" Dead ladies don't appreciate my humor.

Stillborns. The funeral homes where I have worked generally provide their services for these families for free or for very low cost. Generally we cremate their little bodies. There's also a wonderful organization that I've worked with called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep that takes photos of the baby before the cremation occurs.

Horse-sized duck. Duck-sized horses would have very tiny circulatory systems, which would make my job difficult.

I can't say that it doesn't phase me. It does affect me quite a bit, but I continue to do it because I know that not everyone can, but somebody has do. Most of the families I serve are grateful for the work I do, which makes my job very rewarding. Seeing a dead body is usually not disturbing to me simply because you just get used to it over time. Although, there are some things that I just can't unsee. For example, any traumatic or untimely deaths will always be hard for me to deal with. But I carry on, because it's my job.

And, no, I don't follow the Walking Dead. Only because I don't watch that much TV. I do enjoy zombie movies, and other zombie-related things.