Ya ever go to like, murders and stuff?, the high school senior asked. “Sure,” I said, “but they’re never as interesting as they are on CSI.” The line got a laugh and a groan, so I moved on to another subject. Later that night though, I realized just how much I’d lied to the curious teen.
“How do you work that thing? Do you meet famous people? How much money do you make?”
It’s enough to make me think about my friends outside the business. They all have nicer stuff, fancier vacations and more free time than I do. They’ve already been home an hour or so when I roll in every evening and their yards look better because of it. They have alot more neckties than I do, along with business cards with abstract, wordy titles. It all seems nice until you hear them talk about work, really watch their eyes glaze over as they stare at the dogs on the grill and remark how incredibly soul-sucking their working hours are.
Worse yet, they all think I have the coolest gig on the planet – that I cruise around all day and play with my camera. What are they – dreamy young kids on ballpark benches? They can’t fathom the demands of our work, let alone the relentless pace. To them it’s all fun and adventure, grab a beauty queen and go play TV…I guess in some respects they’re right, for all the headache and deadlines, we get a backstage pass to life, and it’s a pretty cool gig.
Right?
Carlos Rodriguez