Have you ever wondered just what makes people different? What makes people like what they do? What scares us? What doesn't? Why do we find some things that are scary, fascinating and other things not as much? Why is it the slightest things frighten some of us to the point of lifelong fear or phobias. Why are some of the dumbest things interesting and some of the most interesting things purely dumb, to us? As a kid, I was horrified of the unknown, especially cemeteries. I remember movie that scared me beyond belief that centered around cemeteries, yet I was compelled to watch. Kind of like the car accident that everyone wants to see what happened yet, it could be the most terrifying thing they will ever witness but, deeply we long to see it. Always being fearful of "the cemetery", I pretty much avoided them unless I had to attend a funeral (no wonder people are repulsed by them, they are reminders of deep sorrow and pain). I always wanted to not fear them but never realized why.
While living in Hamilton Ontario Canada, as a senior student I had the opportunity to be employed as a summer maintenance technician (I mowed grass and did actually assist in burial completion once or twice, kinda like an initiation by the full time employees). Rather than be unemployed I opted to take the job. As scary as I deemed it, as fearful as I was to get up each day and go to work. I Did!! And no, I did not like it, it still was creepy to me and mowing constantly for 8 hours a day was lame and mindless. I did see some interesting things and even ended up with a casket handle more than 100 years old. People told stories of finding false teeth and other odds and ends that got caught in the mowers from time to time.
The more I worked there I really became enthralled with the magnificent lengths people went to preserve the dead and honor friends and family. Fantastic, huge mausoleums, amazing art, incredible monuments, tombstones and flowers. The architecture itself was crazy good! There was so many outstanding epic tributes that I became less fearful and more curious. That's when my fear turned into fascination. Hence a reason for this blog and trips to many cemeteries in and out of the proximity
