First things first: story time!

When Jef and I were first looking for an apartment, we started out with our dream list: one bedroom, hardwood floors, big, south-facing windows, a large kitchen, walking distance from a grocery store, a coffeeshop, and a bus stop, and in our very modest price range. We knew we would probably have to compromise on  some things, but we needed a dream to start from. In the end, we found our nearly-perfect place. It’s on a noisy street with hardly any parking, and the plumbing can be a little funky they way it is with older buildings, but pretty much everything else is more than we expected to be able to afford. (Holy crap, you should see the size of our kitchen!)

So the moral of the story is: know what you want before you go after it.

So what do I want?

  • A job doing massage therapy that I can do very part time to start, after my day job, maybe two weeknights plus Sundays, with the possibility of increasing the time in the future. I do both treatment-focused work as well as relaxation massage. I work on a really diverse clientele and learn a lot.
  • This place has different kinds of practitioners that all respect each other, and each others’ work. They’re smart and funny, and maybe a little nerdy. They feel like a community of people who actually like working together.
  • The folks in charge here don’t mind that I’m new, but have high, reasonable, and VERY CLEAR expectations for me. They tell me what’s up and where I need to improve to my face and then don’t hold a grudge about it after I’ve improved.
  • The business has a commitment to being a responsible part of society. They keep things legal, ethical, and like to do a good turn when they can. They’re environmentally aware and actually act on that.
  • There’s a real focus on empowering clients to improve their lives, and not just on bringing them back in for more of whatever they’ll pay for.
  • They’re happy to let me poke around in the business side of things.
  • There’s a bit of a minimalist aesthetic going on at this place. Not too much artwork on the walls, too many knick-knacks on the horizontal surfaces, or too much anything anywhere. And it’s not painted purple. It just isn’t.
  • It’s within several miles of home, and along a safe bicycle route. (And because of that whole eco-awareness thing, they don’t see this as a weird thing to want.)

Basically, this is a job that makes my life better. It’s a place I want to be, a place that I want my clients to be, and a place I’m proud to be a part of.

Now I just gotta go out and find it.

If you haven’t already got it, what’s your dream job?

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