What is it you do, anyway?

I’m going to remain light here for today’s post again.  I’m riding a high after my little girl’s birthday party, which paled in comparison with my usual party planning endeavors but was spectacular nonetheless.  There’s nothing like a house full of family and friends to make a party successful.  My Claire looked absolutely gorgeous in her little red dress.  She loved all her presents.  And watching her devour her birthday cake was priceless.  It seems she’s a chocolate girl just like her mommy. Look here:

But I’ve been thinking about something lately.  There’s now about 80 or so of you reading daily and I feel quite lucky to have so many new friends.  Some of you simply come here for the information I provide, but I think some of you (as I find I do with the blogs I read) feel like you’ve gotten to know me too.  I mean really, if you have been reading for a while or have peeled through my archives, you actually do know me quite well.  Better even than most of the people I actually interact with on a day to day basis.

But although you know all about my family dynamics and my innermost feelings, there is a large part of who I am that I’ve not yet written about.  I talked around it in this post here, but I never actually wrote what it is I do.  I’m not a writer by profession.  I can’t even include my writing here as a part time job (notice the lack of monetization).  But seriously, I do have a job.  Are you ready for it?

I’m a dental hygienist.

How anticlimactic.  But I have to tell you that I absolutely l-o-v-e my job.  It’s not what I dreamed of doing growing up.  To be honest, I chose it based simply on income potential and years of education required.  I was in a bad place and needed to set myself straight.  I sat down with my local Community College’s course calendar and flipped straight to the income surveys.  It came down to dental hygiene or welding.  And after long, hard consideration, hygiene won.

It still surprises me how much I really enjoy it.  How my hasty decision worked out so well.  I can honestly say that I’m happy each morning that I go to work.  (Really!) But I was thinking the other day….What makes it such a good fit for me is that it fits entirely with my personality.  And my ACOD tendencies.  Here’s why:

1. I work within a team.  It’s just like a family.  Sometimes we agree, sometimes we don’t.  Usually we get along, but sometimes we don’t.  But at the end of the day, we all love each other and recognize that we all have to work together to get the job done right.  We work synergistically and although not all offices feel quite the same way mine does, I would find it difficult to work any other way.
2. As a hygienist in general dental practice, I’m number 2 in command along with my fellow hygienists.  As with any workplace, there is a higherarchy in the office.  I’m number 2 for two reasons: my credentials and dental knowledge should be second only to the dentist, and I am an income powerhouse for the practice, again second only to the D.D.S.  It’s so fitting for any child of divorce.  I have lots of responsibility, just like I’ve always had in life, without being the boss. When someone is upset, they get directed to the head honcho, not number 2 – which is awesome if you ask me.  And hey, nobody ever died from getting their teeth cleaned.  Not that you know of, anyway.  Hmm?  What was that?  You’re tooth is really hurting?  You’re really upset?  Sure, sure.  Let me go get the dentist for you.
3. I get to make idle prattle with people all day long. I am a queen of all things superficial and this particular aspect suits me so well.  I get to practice making a comment about a weekend getaway turn into an hour long chat.  And this skill is a good thing.  It puts people at ease and in this setting is considered an asset as opposed to a social hindrance.
4. My OCD and perfectionistic tendencies aren’t just tolerated.  They’re celebrated! Getting every micrometer of enamel free of plaque and tarter makes me downright awesome at what I do.  I get to wash my hands 219 times a day and that’s considered frigging fantastic.  I have to write down every scrap of relevant information neatly and succinctly in a little chart and that challenge sometimes makes me giddy with excitement.  What could be considered borderline mental makes for one amazing dental hygienist.
5. I know lots of information on a topic which is strangely obscure yet universal. I get to teach people.  And I love it. Empowering people with knowledge regarding the consequences and benefits of their own behaviours and allowing them to make their own decisions regarding change is fab.u.lous.  In my book anyway.  It’s much along the same lines as what I try to do here sometimes.  Minus the teeth and gingivitis, of course.
6. And definitely one of my favorite aspects of my profession – work stays at work.  I can’t bring teeth (except my own, of course) home with me.  Home time is for being with my family and blogging.  That’s it. Yeah, I need a maid.

So there you have it.  Another aspect of me coming into focus.  I hope you enjoyed this view.

And on a heavier note….If you have a  personal experience with PAS or alienation, please go to the community forum and tell me about it.  The last installment on my PAS series is coming soon and I’d love to learn from your experiences too.

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