What’s your dream job?

If I were young, my dream job would be working in theatre. Dancing, singing, and acting with a bunch of other creative people would be a very fulfilling career in my estimation. Additionally, it would keep me fit and healthy. When I was a teenager I was on stage once before our drama teacher retired. It was a cathartic and enriching experience for me. I realized I could really do it. I felt good about myself and my confidence blossomed. It brought me out of my shell, making me feel like I finally belonged somewhere. I wish our teacher hadn't retired, but alas, that is the way of things. 

I have had a few dream jobs, tho, that I felt like I was stealing by taking a paycheck. When I worked in schools as an educational assistant, I learned the beauty of different forms of human connection. I had a child I was assigned to, and I followed her into high school. She did not speak with spoken words, but she did communicate in her own ways. She looked into my eyes with such love and adoration that my heart would melt. To get her from one place to another I would sing in a rhythmic way that kept her feet moving. She let me know when she was displeased by stomping her foot. She was mostly very happy tho. There was a lot of laughing together.

I had some fabulous coworkers and we spent the days interacting and having fun with our charges. We sang a lot of songs together. We visited the community. We made food in the kitchen. I taught my girl's class sign language so they could communicate with her. It was by far, the best job that I ever had. The only stressful part was watching my own child struggle in the educational environment every day and not being able to help him. That is a whole other story. We ended up having to move to a city so that he could receive the help he needed. 

Another job that I enjoyed a lot was working with elders who had developmental disabilities. Each elder had their own unique personality and it was interesting finding ways to get to know them. One elder had an affinity for toothbrushes, and every day, during rest time, he would take his Rubbermaid full of his toothbrush collection out from under the couch and choose one or two. Then he would lay on the couch and look at those toothbrushes with such love and devotion. The way a mother looks at her child. I wondered if maybe there was a happy childhood memory where maybe his mom bought him a toothbrush or was helping him brush his teeth. 

Olive enjoyed manicures. She had a Rubbermaid of her own on top of the fridge filled with all of her nail polishes, files, etc...When we would give her a manicure, her brilliantly blue eyes shone and sparkled. Sadly, my personal life and mental health got in the way of my ability to be able to continue having a job.

And I found a lot about being employed difficult. There are a lot of control freaks in that line of work. It was ever so upsetting to be around people like that. 

As a youth, my first job was as a waitress. I learned how to work very hard in that job. So that was a pretty great job, aside from the daily sexual harassment. It brought out a lot of confidence in me, even tho I was often a bumbling buffoon and made a lot of mistakes. See I was fine until it became so busy I couldn't comfortably do my job and remember everything. On my first day, I served a man his beer with a glass of ice, lol! It was fun tho. Especially my second waitressing job where I was working with all of my high school friends. Additionally, the dopamine hit a teenager recieves at being given a tip, cannot be underestimated. 

Anyway, I think my dream job would not be a job. I would be a volunteer in daycares, schools, and assisted living homes. That takes all of the pressure off of me, does it not? I can have fun and bond with children and elders without any heavy responsibility. However, I am very much a recluse now, so being around people again might be very difficult for me.

I wasn't going to write today, but I am glad I did. Thank you very much for reading my stuff.🙂