The Craigslist ad was enticing and caught my eye right away, along with a pay rate I thought was surely a typo. No one in this town pays that well for anything! But, an elderly gentleman with a great sense of humor who just needs a watchful eye, companionship and a bit of assistance? I can do that! I met with his son at a local coffee shop for the first interview, followed by a meet-and-greet with dad a few days later. We hit it off immediately and I got the job. Woo-hoo! Such a sweet old man-we were going to have a ball.
It started out so easy, so perfect, so, almost lovely. The work was barely work at all, the hours great and though I knew it wouldn’t be forever it was sustainable for now. I would have time to pursue my passions of photography and sailing, and even better, since I’d started to gear my photo business towards elders, I had a ready and willing subject available to me daily! It couldn’t have worked out better!
Louis. 86 years old. A former sailor/navigator. We had that in common. We’d be able to talk. We’d be buddies. It would be comfortable and fun. Easy. Come for 2 hours, leave, return for 2 hours. Finally, after 2 long struggling years, I had a job that paid more than I’d ever made in 45 years of working. It fed my nurturing, social nature. It was a new adventure. Did I mention easy? I was excited, but the ecstatic feeling wasn’t meant to last, nor was it to stay easy.