The Quiet Man, Ink Drawing by Ed Tajchman

For a year or so in the late 90's I worked as an overnight care-giver in group homes for the mentally challenged. I was the rotation sub, which meant I went to whatever house the company wanted me at for that night or week or whatever. I took care of 3 - 8 (depending on the house) severely to moderately mentally disabled people. By myself. Every night. My point is that it was a very hard job to do. Not on a physical level but on an emotional and mental stress kind of level. It takes a special person to do that kind of job well. 

Anyways, here is a kind-of portrait of one of the men in one of the houses, that I took care of. He was very thin, very quiet, very gentle. For some reason his demeanor and face always kind of stuck with me. There were many people in various stages and levels of mental illness that I came in contact with during this time. Which, for a young man like I was, was quite the learning experience. Maybe like Ken Kesey working at a mental hospital and writing One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, ( but not that severe.) 

"Quiet Man" by Ed Tajchman. Ink drawing. 2013 ©.

After a while of working with the mentally ill/disabled, one can get to know the individuals on a more personal level & it is a really great thing. So many interesting people that are usually written off by society. If I had not worked for this company, I never would have had this experience myself. I started to understand the people behind all the stutters, ticks, seizures, and various mental, physical disabilities. I started to understand their personalities, getting to know them like you would anyone else. It was a great opportunity and I learned a lot. Alas I can admit I was not emotionally and mentally ready for that kind of job when I was 19 years old, and only lasted about a year before moving on to other means of employment. But I will never forget the people I took care of during that time.