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.