Can you do my job?

Do you think you could do your friends' jobs? Do you think they could do yours? 

Let's ignore for the moment that you don't have the training to do your friends' jobs, i.e. you didn't go to med school, so no, you probably wouldn't be a very good doctor. For the sake of this question, just assume that you did have the training- could you do it?

For most of my friends I think I probably could do their job. I could be a teacher. I could be a social worker. I could be a scientist. I could be a kayaking guide. 

Would I be as good as my friends are at their jobs? For some of them, yes. For most of them, probably not. I think we chose jobs in fields that we are good at, that we have a natural talent for and that appeal to us. 

I also have some friends that I could NOT do their jobs. I wouldn't last one week as a lawyer in a big law firm. Mainly because I would shoot myself because of how miserable I would be. I couldn't be a doctor and deal with sick people all the time. I hate hospitals. 

This topic came to mind because whenever my sister tells me about her day, I say to her, "I could NOT do your job." She works in HR for a large firm and has to deal with stupid people all day long. People at her job, in my opinion, are way overpaid and spoiled. And then they sit at meetings and complain about things like they ran out of their favorite candy in the snack machine. They aren't just bringing this to someone's attention- they are quite literally MAD about this. I often tell my sister that at the beginning of meetings she should play footage of Katrina and war torn Iraq to help remind these people of what a real problem actually is. 

Mainly the thing that I couldn't handle about her job is that because of possible law suits, she has to be extremely politically correct. Let's just say, that's not my strong suit. She will give me examples of things that people said in her workplace that she then has to deal with or sexual harassment issues and I will think about most of them, "Wait, that's not so bad. What's the big deal?" And she will explain to me why such and such a thing can't be said. 

I want the world to be run by common sense. Not by stupid rules and fear of being sued. 

I, fortunately, have one of the most relaxed and casual jobs in the world. I am a massage therapist. Do I think my friends could do my job? I have a bunch of friends who I actually think would make good massage therapists. But I think it is a job that you have to have a calling for. 

People ask me what I do when I get a fat client. And let's be honest, they don't ask, "so what do you do when you get a fat client?" They ask, "Oh my god, what do you do when you get a fat client?!? Gross!" And what do I do?  I massage them. It doesn't bother me. We come in all shapes and sizes. 

What do I do when I get a hairy client? I massage them. Granted, depending on the amount and length of hair that the client has, it can get tricky. I will have to use more oil or use shorter strokes. But again, it doesn't bother me. 

I love people and I love their bodies. Not because they are perfect, but because our bodies are amazing. If I were the type of person (which some of my friends are) who was grossed out by a few zits on the back or some ugly feet, I wouldn't have this job. 

I do have a weird job. I'll admit that. What do I do? I meet a total stranger.  I bring them into a dark room. And then I have them take all their clothes off and  I rub oil all over them. 

When I describe it like that it sounds pretty strange. But there is a lot more to it than that. I give people healing, positive touch. Not everyone has a significant other or small children to cuddle with. The most human touch that some people receive in a day is a handshake or bumping into someone on the train. It's sad, but true. We, as a species, need touch. And I give that to people. 

I also help people get out of pain. Sometimes people will come in with a pain that has been bothering them for months. They have forgotten what life is like without pain. I can help take away that pain. There are all sorts of different techniques used- swedish, myofascial, trigger point- and you, as a massage therapist, have to know which technique to use with each client and each problem. So I have to be very good at reading people and at reading their bodies. This is something that is a natural talent, but also something that I have refined over the years. It sounds simple but not everyone can do this. I've had bad massages where the therapist didn't do that. 

You also definitely have to like people to be a massage therapist. For the most part, my clients are extremely nice to me, they know I am going to make them feel better so why wouldn't they be nice to me. I am not the tax collector or the meter maid- again, two jobs I could NOT do. But I also deal with people who are extremely stressed out. They come to me BECAUSE they are completely stressed out. So it is important to remember that if a client is snippy or upset, that it really isn't about me and they are usually displacing their anger. I did have a client recently who was evil. From the moment she walked in and discovered that because she was late that she would not be getting her full time, she was a huge pain in the ass. She even started swearing at my boss and called her a bitch. So how do I take a person like this, that I want to punch in the head, and give her a relaxing, healing and nurturing massage? First of all, I tell myself that I don't know what that person is going through. Maybe she was abused as she was growing up. Maybe she just got dumped by her boyfriend. Maybe her mom just died. Thinking these things help me deal with her more compassionately. My other thought is that someone with this much negativity and anger is someone who really NEEDS a massage and so it is my duty to her and to the world to give her one, and to give her a great one. 

Do you think you could do my job? Do you have any friends who you wish you had their job?