Working for my local newspaper for a few weeks now has certainly taught me a few things and makes each day a new experience. I am in my daily routine now of collecting arrest and accident reports and communicating with the sheriff’s department on a daily basis. Of course, with all the excitement coming from the police department and court systems, there is also the surge of stress when it comes time to write an obituary. I didn’t think I would enjoy this part of the job description and I really thought it would be more depressing, but it turns out, even the most absurd things can still teach a valuable lesson.
I was writing one of my very first obituaries the other day and I was warned that it was “a different and trickier obituary” in comparison to the others. As I started writing about this man’s life, it struck me suddenly, that there are so many rules to writing these, because this is potentially the final thing written for someone.
Suddenly, I was terrified.