Journal 1.20.2017 (Patreon)

I've been noticing for a while how much my line of work places me within people's lives...you travel to their home and often, seemingly, become their confidante for however many hours you're there. By the end of a shoot, I've heard about wives, children, bodily ailments, pill schedules for heart disease, electrical bills, credit cards, home ownership history, personal hobbies, sexual history, what sort of breakfast they've had for the past 30 years, what their boss at the grocery store was like when they were 18 years old, their tours to Vietnam, and it goes on. I know the personal histories of so many individuals, and it's surprisingly easy to keep track and identify them by several pseudonyms. I used to be very bad with names, but this job has cured me of that. Other than being a therapist, I often wonder where these interpersonal skills could help me. Certainly it's helped me simply in relating to others on a daily basis, but I still wonder. Or I wonder what I'll do with all of the information, and maybe there is a limit and I'll simply run out of space. I heard though that your brain will eventually start prioritizing the most relevant pieces of information, and I wonder how that will work...what if it doesn't work to my advantage - or what I see as an advantage. Today is my last full day in Tampa before I head out to Tallahassee tomorrow. I'll be posting a photo set tonight.