I saw my first dead body when I was 6. I remember that day so vividly. I came home to see my dad sitting on the couch, mouth open, dead, from a heart attack. My 6-year-old self didn’t really understand what happened. My mom was in too much shock to stop me from walking up to him, touching him. I thought he was asleep. I didn’t know why mom was crying. But she told me, “He’s dead, honey.” I remember reaching out and touching his cold blue tongue, something you normally wouldn’t be able to do to a person that was alive. It finally cemented in my head, then, that he was gone. And wasn’t waking up. I remember the black suited men that came to take dad away on a stretcher as they put a white sheet over him. As they covered his face, I was worried he wouldn’t be able to breathe under there, and the man uncovered his face for me, until they took him out the front door.
"From a young age, I was faced with the untimely death of my Dad. After that, my curiosities about death slowly began to snowball, in a good way. As I grew older, I ended up as the black sheep of the family, being the weird kid for being interested in death and wanting to confront and understand it more. Now that I am older, I realize that their fear and hesitation, even complete denial, have come from social and cultural conditioning. We have been told that society knows what's best for us. And that what is best for us is for death to be kept hidden.
I, however, have found death just as beautiful and precious as life can be, and it should be celebrated. I believe we should have conversations about death and dying, and that we shouldn't be afraid of it. I kept those thoughts running through my mind during my childhood, and they only became more lucid as I grew into adulthood. I entered the workforce and from 2016 on I had became a Certified Caregiver for Infants and Children at two different Early Learning Centers for a total of three or so years.
I then became Certified and moved to a company that focused on Home Care for the Elderly. Helping families care for their loved ones and be companions for those that need help or just company. We even cared for those who were unresponsive in hospital beds, but still keeping watch over them. My very first day with that job forever impacted my view on death care. (Read the full story in my blog if you would like.) That day, almost 6 years ago, my life changed. Ever since then, I've been on a journey to start my dream career in the Death Industry!"
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