Scaling three-story rope ladders up the sides of ships, memorizing every rock and current in a harbor, and narrowly avoiding catastrophic collisions with Grant Livingstone, a retired harbor pilot. What do you do when your engine and anchors fail in heavy fog? And how do you dock a ship the size of the Empire State Building?

Grant and his twin brother Captain George Livingstone co-authored the recent book Shiphandling, The Beautiful Game.

IF YOU LIKE THIS EPISODE: Check out what it's like to be a long-haul trucker, an ocean lifeguard, or a London cabbie.

Learn more about StoryCorps and the Story Preservation Initiative at their websites.

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Comforting patients as they prepare to transition, navigating end-of-life regrets and frayed relationships, and providing support and advice for fearful families with Heather Meyerend, a retired hospice nurse. How does she know when the end is imminent? And what has the work taught her about the different ways we deal with death?

Heather is a contributing author to the book Resilient Faith: Dare To Believe. She was also profiled in The New Yorker in 2016: "A Tender Hand in the Presence of Death".

Like this episode? Check out what it's like to be...

• A Nurse
• A Brain Surgeon
• A Veterinarian

Got a comment or suggestion? Email us at jobs@whatitslike.com

Want to be on the show? Leave us a voicemail at (919) 213-0456. We’ll ask you to answer two questions:

• What’s a word or phrase that only someone from your profession would be likely to know and what does it mean?
• What’s a specific story you tell your friends that happened on the job? It could be funny, sad, anxiety-making, pride-inducing or otherwise.

We can’t respond to every message, but we do listen to all of them! We’ll follow up if it's a good fit.

Calming scared cats with pheromone sprays, advising families how to balance their pet's well-being with budget realities, and diagnosing mysterious animal maladies with Dr. Hindatu Mohammed, a veterinarian in Austin, TX. What breed of dog, when having its nails clipped, responds as though it's being murdered? And how did an injured ant shape her career choice?

Got a comment or suggestion? Email us at jobs@whatitslike.com

Want to be on the show? Leave us a voicemail at (919) 213-0456. We’ll ask you to answer two questions:

• What’s a word or phrase that only someone from your profession would be likely to know and what does it mean?
• What’s a specific story you tell your friends that happened on the job? It could be funny, sad, anxiety-making, pride-inducing or otherwise.

We can’t respond to every message, but we do listen to all of them! We’ll follow up if it's a good fit.