Last Time Part Time

My Dear Princess and Dear Fellow,

One thing I feel I should have kept you up to date with, but have not, is Caro and her career.

It has been almost exactly a year since she received the "GTF" call from her recruitment managers last year, and I remember it sent her tumbling into a very black mood. 

Here we are, one year on, and she has been quite reinvented.

It has not always been easy for her. The dynamic at the funeral home has been often fraught, with the fraying moods of her various colleagues causing her to - upon occasion - consider chucking it all in and leaving. 

I thought this would be a shame. She actually enjoys the work but she came close two or three times. 

However, in the past couple of months she really seems to have found her feet. Both in her knowledge of the funeral industry (she's feeling much more confident) and in her ability to juggle the competing personalities of her co-workers.

She finds that she is liked. Both by the staff and the customers. And it has been noted. Her manager in particular has spotted that ability Caro has to chat with ANYONE. The old folk in particular and obviously they are the key demographic here. 

Caro will talk to them about their homes, their families, their pets. She puts people at ease, and I get the impression the oftentimes people will forget why they are even at a funeral home, just enjoying a nice chat until Caro gently reminds them that they are there to plant their husband. 

But Caro is not the only one who has struggled. Another of her colleagues wishes to retire, while a second wants to go part-time. It has been a headache for Manager. 

So there have been discussions. And Caro has been invited to take on a full time role. She swithered a little at first. She LIKES having her afternoons to herself. She enjoys time with cats and watching detective shows. She likes puttering to the shops and having coffees.

But she does enjoy the work. Also money. She likes money. I mean, who doesn't?

So today marks her last day as a part-timer. Next week she fully re-enters the world of full-time employment with a new title, "Trainee Funeral Director". 

I am very proud of her. And I'm so happy that she's really enjoying the work these days. "I'm just nosy," she explains. "I love getting all the chat."

It's her own self-deprecation, I know. She is genuinely good with people, and she now knows her funeral facts too. I won't share them with you because - trust me on this - you don't want to know. But she is familiar with the mechanics of departure. And I'll leave it at that. 

I shall watch what happens next with interest. 

As will Jasper here.

S.