Monday, June 05, 2006

Oddly Gratifying

I was evaluated for Occupational Therapy on Friday. I thought it went well. I liked the therapist. She struck me as quite competent and also easy to gain rapport with. She seemed pleased with what progress I've already made and confident of what I could acheive. She was delighted to find out who my surgeon was because 'he always puts people back together very carefully and with minimal soft tissue damage so it makes our job easier.' I have been very happy with the surgeon each time I've seen him but was glad for more confirmation of his skill.

Near the end of the session the OT was massaging my scars to see how 'stuck' they were. She sort of ooohed and ahhhed to herself, 'Oh, they are nice and flat and smooth, few adhesions. These are going to perform nicely!' I had to giggle to myself. It felt like my arm was some car a teenage boy was drooling over. I enjoyed her glee over something other people would look at with revulsion, not because I care about how people look at my scars but because it was an indication that she enjoys her work and her training gives her a unique perspective.

It made me think about how we all have jobs or hobbies as individuals and our training or passions allow us to derive pleasure in things others don't see. For example, I thought inventorying a brand new library was a REALLY fun activity. All the shiny, new, library-bound hardcovers were all lined up in orderly fashion on sturdy new shelves. The spines gave that nice little crackle as new pages came unstuck for the first time. And new book smell is so enticing. All that knowledge, entertainment, and inspiration was all lined up for eager hands, and eyes, and minds. I enjoyed it immensely even though lots of folks might regard doing inventory as a sedative.

So, I'm thinking about scars and new libraries and I am wondering about your job or hobby. What part of it do people outside the field/interest look at as strange or boring but gives you great pleasure? I know I have a Physician's assistant, writers, musicians, seamstresses, homemakers, gardeners, computer programmers, a principal, a playwrite, a truck driver, an accountant, and others who read me. Tell me about that oddly gratifying part of your work. It can't be anything that others would obviosly see. Nothing like a book sold, or the applause of an audience. Drop a comment and give me some strange pleasure.

17 comments:

Gary said...

I absolutely love watering plants. It may look boring to some, but there is a lot going on when I do it. I am studying the plant for signs of too much or too little water. I am looking for disease or insect damage. I am looking for signs of new growth. And best of all, I am admiring the beauty of the plants.

Anonymous said...

The part I LOVE about my job is I do 90% of the driving I do at night. That is so cool because you would not belive some of the things you see at night in those passing car LOL! I love watching the falling stars. Seeing the lighting storm coming from 30 miles away. Listening to all the really starange and weird talk shows in the middle of the night. It's a pretty cool job:-}

S said...

First of all..."The spines gave that nice little crackle as new pages came unstuck for the first time. And new book smell is so enticing".....

I'm totally there with ya on that one, Lime!

I think the things I really like about my job that people might not see, although what I make is very visual and.....its an eye and pleasure thing......
Is what happens in my head, I guess before I make stuff....and how incredibly visual I am, how much I appreciate the gift of color, pattern, comp, and the gift of vision....

Ok I just got up..did any of that make sense?

Stephanie said...

As a mom, there is nothing better than hearing the girls laugh when they are playing together. It warms my heart and makes me happy in my soul.

As a dancer/teacher, there are a couple of weird things I love. First, the feeling I get when the curtain goes up - fear, anticipation, excitement, nausea - I'm giddy and have butterflies in my tummy at the same time. Second, if I'm drenched in sweat when I've finished a class or a preformance, I know I've given my all and I'm proud of myself. It's the only time I'm ever happy to be sweating my ass off. Third, when a group of girls dance really well together and have passion for what they're doing - I get a 'high' just working with them. The last and weirdest thing, is that I LOVE the sound pointe shoes make on the stage.

Logophile said...

I guess it is only very loosely related to my job, but I love it when I have written a phrase that people repeat. Just say it because they like how it sounds, or they reuse it in coversation.
Being quotable, that is a highlight for me.

lime said...

gary, that sounds very active and yet peaceful at the same time. i think you could teach me a lot.

steve, i am giggling and smiling. i love watching lightning storms too. i think i'd like to ride along with you once to see and hear all the other parts!

suse, yes. it made sense and i can apprecuate how gratfying getting an abstract idea turned into a concrete item can be.

snavy, i'm imagining the sounds of pointe shoes now! and yep, give those kids a big hug :)

gloria, that you consider those things a priviledge shows what a beautiful caring soul you are. that was so well said, thanks.

logo, i totally get that and it's a great pleasure to be quoted in a complimentary fashion.

lime said...

rob, wow. i definitely learned something new and that's always a good thing. :) your juggling description SLAYED me! lmao! whaddya charge for tickets to that act???

The Village Idiot said...

Strange pleasure from a hobby.

Lately it seems I get pleasure from smashing my digits...

As far as a hobby goes, mixing the colors, the smell of the acrylics, the way the colors dry. And finally , getting the look right so the client thinks, the painted wood looks like fir. or the wall looks like that old Tuscan Villa.

Fooling the eye with light and shadow, the fun that is faux finishing.

Rain said...

I am a Certified Fraud Examiner and after the "case" is solved and the books are closed I am often approached by the victims asking "Where do we go from here?" This is my favorite part of the job (unseen by outsiders)because I can then point them in the right direction for recovery. In some cases it might be Fraud Prevention Training for companies, personal/family therapy or the local DA's office for further investigation.
On a personal note, I would like to thank you for stopping by my site. I am truly honored!

Moosekahl said...

I take great pleasure in seeing an incision that I sewed shut come back all smooth and with a narrow little scar...Most people here incision and sewing and faint. the bigger and longer the incision the more I like seeing it back. I can look at a "scar" know I made it less of a scar by carefully closing it.

As far as hobbies...there IS a distinct smell to a fresh new book!

(M)ary said...

I like OLD books. I worked in bookstores for 11 years. I love the smell and the feel of a book which I don't think non-book lovers could understand.

I wrote about an old library on my blog: http://marywhines.blogspot.com/2006/04/old-books.html

It is just a short entry which does not fully explain how wonderful the smell of well kept old books can be! ( and how icky it smells when people do not take care of the books!!)

lecram sinun said...

For one... playwriting is solitary work... but never lonely.

The toughest part is getting started. It's been said that writers will do ANYTHING to avoid getting started... home repairs, taxes, etc. But once you get in the groove there is no better feeling in the world and you wonder why you put it off in the first place - sort of like the best 2 weeks of non-stop, crazy, dysfunctional, passionate, kinky, sex you've ever had. LOL!

My friends are always astounded at how quickly I let go of a project once completed. Especially if they've come to visit me in the middle of a write and saw a half-nekkid, wild-eyed, giggling fool who is banging away at the keyboard like his life depended on it.

lime said...

idiot, i worked on a paint crew and i get excited about nice lines cutting in ;)

rain, that's a new job for me. thanks for sharing. i enjoyed my vist very much :)

moose, that's really great and as one with 5 new scars i am grateful for carefully sewn incisions. i've had others that were quite slapdash. not so nice.

m, i'll be visiting for sure. i love imagining how many hands an old book has passed thru!

lecram, thay whole avoidance thing sounds eerily familiar when it comes to my housework, hehehe. witnessing the madness sounds like quite the experience!

Phain said...

I love it when a client walks up and I don't recognize their face - but if they tell me their first name - I can tell them their last and vice versa. Kind of freaks them out but they usually feel better because they know then that they are not just nameless in a book of 1,300+ clients.

Anonymous said...

I'm so happy to hear your rehab is coming along so well.
Your positive attitude will carry you along quite well.:)
tc

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Christopher J. Alterio said...

Hi Lime,

I was happy to post your clarification, and glad that the story had a happier ending than what I initially perceived!

Peace to you,

Chris