It's The Only Certainty In Life

We were set the task of writing a profile of a Cardiff Character. Someone who we thought would have an interesting life, job, outlook. I chose a funeral director. I thought that it was a job which is entirely centered on one of life's greatest taboo subjects, that is, death. And I felt that many of us have a morbid fascination with the topic...naturally we want to know.

When I found myself sat in a funeral home with a box of tissues in front of me, a catalogue of coffins to my right and a range of urns to me left, waiting for the interview to begin, I began to question my choice. Why have a put myself in this situation through my own choosing I thought.

However, it turned out to be a fascinating and rewarding experience. David Brown, the funeral director was able to put me at my ease at once - I suppose that skill is essential in his job. He explained to me how his career had enabled him to appreciate life and its brevity, the quirky requests people made for their funerals, preparing his own aunt's body for her funeral and his plans for his own funeral. I was thoroughly intrigued by the stories this man had to tell and by his passion for such an unusual job.

It really struck me that journalism will send me into many a situation that perhaps I would rather avoid. However, I'm glad that I will be pushed to my limits throughout the course of my career (much like David perhaps) and I am pleased that I will have legitimate reasons to meet fascinating people with fascinating lives that I would otherwise know nothing about.