Of all the jobs I've had and all the jobs I have now, my favorite job has been, well,
ALL THE JOBS.
This isn't to say that my jobs have all been completely functional or without issue. However, I love doing all the different things and having all the experiences and gaining all the knowledge and having a good workplace story to tell.
Like the one time I was tasked with teaching a yoga class and pretending to be "Skipper," you know Barbie's little sister. I could not be Barbie, because I am not blonde, so Skipper it was. The entire class was just bizarre and had me discussing toe walking, fashion and how girls can be anything even a pop star and a rodeo star and an astronaut.
Note: the class was for senior citizens.
One of my high school jobs was as a server at the same retirement community that kicked out my Grammy a few years earlier (she was challenging). I was not a well liked by the other teenage staff--I was marked as an outsider from the beginning for one reason or another. As a result, I always ended up with the "puree lady" and the "hemorrhoid donut" man as my tables. And you know, I learned a lot about how to rise above any snobbery or discomfort I had for people. I grew to love both these tables and enjoy chatting with them. (Although one never gets over pureeing shad and shad roe. I still gag as I think of this).
As a grown-up, I've been a yoga teacher (as noted above, although most of classes were not Barbie themed), a PR girl, a writer, a manager, a marketer, a brand ambassador, a food sampler, a writer and things that I am forgetting. I've worked in ecotourism--traveling to Lesvos as the ecotourism "expert" and also to the UN for UNEP sessions. I've been a stringer for Vermont's largest newspaper, the Burlington Free Press. I've been a PR girl for my favorite childhood museum, the Franklin Institute, and spent the evening with astronauts and also Paige Davis from Trading Spaces (she made me hold her Louis Vuitton). I've worked in commercial real estate and once I even launched a charity in Canada. I've sampled baby food at events and now, I get to drive email marketing for that baby food company, all while also pursuing my passion for writing about science, childhood cancer and oncology research. And then I get to do all the other work I enjoy, like writing here and writing for a local business and whatever else crosses my path.
It is exhausting--but I love all the jobs--past, present and future. Whenever I think about what I want for my children, as they close in on college and career and all those things--I want them to have all the experiences and all the chances to be all the things or one of the things or some of the things.
Comments
Post a Comment