Road Warrior - A Job of Many Hats

I apologize for my absence, I have had some drama in my own life and have moved into a new apartment although Its been a month, I'm still moving. Its quite difficult when one is out of town five to six days a week. My personal story is not yet ready to be written, however It will in time be told. Perhaps when I've completed the move and my own drama has dissipated.

I have other stories to tell right now about the amazing people I have met through my job as a simple Portrait Consultant. Spending my evenings in churches around the Midwest, helping people from all walks of life choose their portraits for their church directories and selling them packages of their images to hang on their walls.

The most memorable of my customers tend to be the elderly. There was a time in my life that I did not have to work but out of boredom I took on a couple of part time jobs. One was working with the elderly as a "Congregate Homemaker". I drove a small bus and took them shopping, to their doctor appointments and did their laundry and sometimes cleaned their homes and fixed their meals. I loved that job but there came a point where I had to move on but I built quite a rapport with the elderly and that job helped me personally when it came time to take care of my own elderly parents who have since passed on. Because of my past experience, my present experiences are extremely gratifying.

I am astonished sometimes by the stories my customers tell; The 35 year old pastor of one church in North Central Iowa had gone to pick up their oldest member, One-hundred and one. He said by the time he got out of the car to open the door for her, she was already in the church and he was left in the dust. I thought my 96 year old customer from Northeastern Iowa, an active business owner who had just gone golfing the day before was incredible. But then someone else comes along and completely blows my mind.

In Southern Illinois in a little country church in the middle of nowhere an elderly woman with a walker was waiting for her pictures to be taken. She moved at a slow pace but had spunk and all her wits about her. The hostess at the table told me she had just had her Ninetieth birthday and so I sat down next to her and wished her a happy birthday. "Spunk" cannot accurately describe this woman.

The frail appearing woman informed me she had gone sky diving on her last birthday and had wanted to go again this year, however her friend was unable to go with her so she passed this year but intends on going again for her Ninety-first birthday. Needless to say, I was impressed. After her pictures were taken and viewed she hung around for a while and mingled with the rest of the congregation that were waiting for their own pictures to be taken.

After she had gone, I learned that little miss skydiver was working on her "bucket list". The hostess, a few decades younger than the skydiver turned out to be her closest friend. This summer she was asked to tag along with her to Seattle Washington. One of the items on her list was to have lunch on the Space Needle. So one day, her and her friend got on a train and headed for Seattle. They had their lunch on the Space Needle, got back on the train immediately following and returned home. That was all she wanted to do and had no desire to stay for any length of time in Seattle. The next item on her "bucket list" is a scheduled cruise to Alaska. What some might call gossip others call good stories.

There is a down side however to the stories. You are bound to run into hardships and pain in this line of work. I sat at my table with a young attractive couple and their young children in Bloomington Illinois. A beautiful church I might add. But there is ugly sometimes hiding in the beauty. It may seem silly but in the short amount of time I spend with my customers, there is a slight bond that develops sometimes. This particular family seemed very happy and pleased with their pictures and their positive energy seemed to rub off on me when they left. But then the gossip from the hostess completely caught me off guard. This beautiful young woman was dying of cancer, she was wearing a wig I was told. I then went to my car and cried.

It seems recently I've had to wear the hat of counselor as well. Knowing in advance that someone is dying and going to be sitting at my table is a completely different expereince. In fact today I sat with a couple and the husband was dying. He was just diagnosed with advanced lung cancer three months ago, but she seemed to be in the acceptance stage and said she was surprised that he wanted to come and have his picture taken. He'd only been given a few months to live. While we viewed their pictures, he stepped out of the room to visit with other church members. And completely out of character, I asked her questions and shared the story of my best friend who had lung cancer and was given six months to live but refused to "get her things in order" and lived for five years. Sometimes people just need someone to listen, relate to them and empathize with them.

The first time for a Widow or a Widower to have their picture taken without their spouse is a very traumatic experience. Sometimes they flat out tell me and I end up consoling them with a hand on the shoulder while they struggle to choose their directory pose. Others, I can see it in their eyes when the pictures appear on the screen and their expression suddenly goes blank. At those moments I begin asking them about their children and grandchildren and it distracts them enough to be able to complete the task.

In my line of business there are those who deliberately avoid those customers because they know they will not buy or at least that's their assumption. They will take their time with their current customer and the other Portrait Consultant ends up having to take them. Not all of them shuffle the deck but there are those who's main objective is to get the sale. I think its just as well that I end up with them under the circumstances because compassion is what is needed at the moment, not just a sales person.

This is the most gratifying job I've ever had and hope it is the last job I ever have. I get to travel, hear wonderful stories that bring a smile to everyone I share them with and on occasion help people through a difficult experience while making a decent wage. I have aspired at one time or another to be a church secretary, a hospice nurse, a psychologist, a photographer and a writer. I have discovered a profession that includes a little piece of all of them.


Peace
Liz