LIght Duty and Gratitude

I'm officially on light duty doing paperwork until further notice. At least for the next few weeks until my dr decides when or if I'll be needing surgery. I realized something today while I was separating and sorting papers; my life and job is pretty darn interesting. Over the years I've wondered why people always ask me so many questions about my job and my hobbies. I've made real efforts over the years to not talk about myself and ask specific questions of others and somehow the conversation usually returns to me when they start asking me more questions. That type of interaction tends to be very common and I usually end up feeling like I've hogged the conversation and that others must think I'm terriblly self centered!

I asked my mom about that years ago when she witnessed it herself and she said, "You're interesting and people are curious." At the time I thought that was silly. Not that I think I'm boring or uninteresting; it's just that I had a difficult time accepting or understanding that most other people think I'm more interesting than I think of myself.

Until today that is. I used to be a records clerk for a dr over 18 years ago and I worked part time as a paralegal for awhile and was a transcriptionist as well. Those types of jobs made me realize then that I did not want a normal business office career. I went back to school for paramedicine and never looked back. So I know what those jobs are like but I had forgotten how udderly boring and mindnumbing they are. I had forgotten how uneventful and tedious an office can be.

I understand a bit better why the average person with an average job finds my job so fascinating. I understand why those same people think I'm so interesting because I'm not 40 yet but I've done numerous different things. Besides all my art hobbies over the years, I've also crewed on hot air balloons, I've traveled all over the country and out of it, I've snow skiied -even went on a ski vacation by myself because no one else could go-, I'm professionally I spent 8 years in the US Army, I've graduated college, I've gone indoor sky diving, scuba dived, snorkelled in Maui, and many other things.

At the risk of bragging I realized today that I've done more in 20 years than most people do in their whole life. You'd think that might make me full of myself but you know...as I sat there sorting papers; anemic, weak and tired - I felt a wave of gratitude. I was grateful that I've been blessed with the physical, mental and emotional ability to face life head on and the willingness to want to live my life to the fullest every day. I was grateful that I've been able to experience so much already and hopeful that I may have many more years to experience so much more. And I was grateful that once my health returns in a few weeks or months that I can get back to my interesting career and away from the office.