good things

Too much melancholy here! Blech! I had another doozy to wind up the week, but I’m worried the more delicate among us might start to think there is nothing in this field except heartache and hurt, then promptly vow never to come to this god-forsaken corner of the net again.

That’s simply not true.

So I thought I would share 5 things about my job that make me happy:

1. Getting a thank-you note from a client.

Thank you notes and cards are quickly headed into Jane Austen territory, I know, but those little notes have a way of finding their way into my inbox at just the right sort of moment- the kind where you are sitting with your head in your hands wishing you had majored in computer science instead.

2. Cute widdle baby animals

I know I’m not going to endear myself to some people here, but I squee more over baby animals than I do over baby humans. That is why I am a vet and not a pediatrician. I like kids- I have two of my own, after all- but I have to put a little more effort into being interested in strangers’ children than I do in strangers’ kittens. But if said kid is holding an adorable Yorkie puppy, well, we’re all good.

3. Not spending a ton on clothes

Whatever I wear to work needs to be stain resistant, machine washable, and tough. I own three dry clean only items and four pairs of nice shoes, none of which have entered the clinic. One time my first year out I wore a pair of nice shoes to work, and my feet hurt for three weeks. I learned my lesson. And my wardrobe budget decreased accordingly.

OK, I’ll be honest. This one is for my husband. I would be very happy to be able to spend a ton on nice impractical clothing if I could.

4. The ultrasound machine!

I love ultrasounding things. It’s like a medical magic eye puzzle- from the swirly bits of white and grey dancing on the screen, you twist the probe just so and voila! A beating heart. A gall bladder. A puppy wriggling away. And my personal favorite- the Bladder Stone Snow Globe. If you agitate a bladder (which is normally a black circle) that’s full of little stones or crystals (which look white), it looks just like a snow globe, the crystals lazily swirling around like a flurry of fresh snow. I’ve been known to stand there, mesmerized, until the tech elbows me in the stomach and tells me to get a move on.

5. Adorable retirees

While I encounter my fair share of crotchety elderly folks, they are outnumbered by the number of endearing, interesting, and just plain CUTE older folks who come in with their small dog (and it is almost always that.) They are OK with waiting, as long as you have time to spend with them when it’s their turn. You hear the most interesting stories about life on the farm (and it is almost always that.) Do we even have family farms anymore?

My grandparents are either passed on, or living on the other side of the country. These clients are my surrogate grandparents. 🙂

Anyone else have some good ones?