The New Year has arrived. Here's hoping it brings good things to each and everyone of you!
For myself, it is starting off with great promise. I found out on New Year's Day that I have my favorite job back! Now, that's not to say I haven't loved some of the jobs that I have had since my first favorite job, but I will be back in my element.
If people are lucky, they find a job that suits them. Some folks are "office" people. (That, I'm not!)
Some folks like the comfort of a cubicle and temperature controlled climates. (Not so keen on that either!) Some folks would rather not deal with the public in any way, shape or form! (Those of you that know me, know that's really not me!)
Little did I know when I went to college for theater and elementary education, that I could combine the two in a job just perfect for me! That job is a living history interpreter. For the people in the audience that might not know what that is, let me explain.......I take a specific time period in our history and teach about it. (No, not quite like a history teacher in school.) I can do it in a variety of ways. If I go to a school to teach, I go in period costume. That is, wearing the clothing that someone from say, 1850, would wear. I bring with me a plethora of things that one might not find these days and talk about them. (Anyone know what a thundermug is?)
While I enjoy going from school to school to share our nation's past, the job I'll be re-starting in the spring is at a living history museum. There are places like this all over the country......Plimouth Plantation, Colonial Williamsburg, Genesee Country Village. These places allow us a glimpse into our past. From how food was provided (before grocery stores ) to how clothes were made (before Wal-Mart) to how we traveled from place to place (before horse-less carriages).
I'll be interpreting (or teaching) this lifestyle at The Erie Canal Village, in Rome, New York.
I was there many years ago. It was at the Village that I learned many time honored skills. I learned to spin wool into yarn and flax into linen. I learned how to cook over an open hearth and bake in a beehive oven. And I found that I was happiest when sharing these skills with the folks that came to visit. If we had a group of school children visit, it was great fun to have them help me do the laundry! They couldn't believe that you actually had to scrub each article of clothing, by hand, on a scrub-board! When adults came in, they loved seeing (and smelling) fresh baked apple pie as it came out of the oven.
There is no monotony at this job. Each day is as different as I choose to make it. And there's something to be said for being in the fresh air everyday. None of the historical buildings have heat or air conditioning. Yes, in the spring it can be chilly. So, I put on flannel petticoats and stoke up the fire in the hearth. In the summer, it's hot! I still wear all of my historically accurate layers. A shift, pantaloons, three petticoats and a dress or skirt and blouse. And, I'm still cooking over that fire! Some visitors are stymied by this. "Aren't you hot?" Gee.....what do you think? But this too can be a teaching tool.
The last time I worked at the Village, I was lucky enough to bring my children with me on various occasions. I'd like to believe it gave them an insight that few children have today. As a matter of fact, the picture at the top of this post is of myself, my son Joshua and daughter Tiffany taking down the flag at the end of the day.
They say everyone has a purpose and a place in life. I'm thrilled to be going back to mine.
