Now, I Only Sort-Of Dislike Dentists

Until yesterday, I strongly disliked dentists - a real lot.

The smell of the office, the picking and prodding that accompanies every visit, finding the most appropriate sort-of truthful answer to the question, "do you floss every day?" - I did not like dentists.

Then I showed up for my annual cleaning and met a hygienist who loves her work. She changed my mind about dentists. Now, I only sort-of dislike them. A real lot.

My new hygienist was gentle with my gums and my nerves, she answered my questions completely and thoughtfully, and her interest in dentistry was obvious.

While she jammed a variety of sharp objects into my mouth, she happily threw out tooth trivia (Who was the first person to use teeth as a means of identifying a person? The answer is at the bottom of the blog. I do not want to ruin it for those of you who take trivia at seriously as I do). She brought over a mirror to point out the gum tissue that needs to stay healthy for my smile to remain intact. She even positively reinforced my brushing behavior by saying that I had done a fairly good job and should keep up the good work. (I was secretly hoping for a sticker or a gold star, but apparently being twenty-something precludes you from rewards that are shiny and/or colorful. Why is that?)

Throughout the cleaning, my hygienist displayed all of her meticulously cared for teeth. Her smile had nothing to do with a dental exam, though. Her smile was wide because people smile when they love what they are doing.

“Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm.” Samuel Taylor Coleridge said this and was referring to something slightly different than the flair in the movie Office Space. Coleridge was referring to real heartfelt enthusiasm – the kind that no amount of flair can adequately represent.

One trip to the dentist with one enthusiastic hygienist made me think differently about an entire group of dental workers. I can now say that I only sort-of dislike dentists - a real lot.

Imagine the positive impact that could result from each of us finding the thing we were meant to do and bringing the same type of enthusiasm to that job everyday.

Now that I only sort-of dislike dentists, does anyone know a parking meter attendant who really loves his work?

(The reason you bothered to read this far. The answer: Paul Revere. At least according to my hygieniest.)

Breaking-Up Is Hard to Do

It hurts to be dumped.

No matter if the message is delivered via e-mail, text, tweet, or post-it, and no matter how right the dumper was to make his or her decision, the news brings with it feelings of inadequacy and resentment. The dumpee is left to consider why the time, effort, and energy put into the relationship were not enough to make it work.

Here is the million dollar question - would you go back?

I ask because I find myself in this predicament. I was recently dumped - by an organization.

Sure, it was an organization and not a man that dumped me, but everything seems very much the same. I was told in an uncomfortable conversation that it was not my performance, my professionalism, or my effort that led to the separation. No, the decision to cut my position was simply a business matter. In other words, it was them and not me.

Ouch.

I now find myself in my twenties, well-educated, professional, and, oh yah, laid off.

For those of you who have experienced a lay off or have a friend who has been affected by organizational cuts, have these changes made you think differently about the organizations and/or the industries in which these former positions reside?

My current job search has forced me to consider what I really want to do and who I really want to do it for. In my best case scenario, I hope to find a challenging and enjoyable position within the field in which I was most recently employed. However, I have moments when I think that being dumped once may be enough for me and it may be time to locate those other fish I have heard are swimming around the sea.

I wonder what you think - has the way you were treated, or have seen others treated, affected the direction of your career? In spite of my understanding that critical business decisions need to be made, and that these decisions are rarely personal, it is impossible to remove human emotions from the equation. As I look for my next opportunity, I am forced to ask myself if I would have the humility to return to the person (job / industry) who dumped me.

Maybe this feeling will pass. It was, after all, them and not me. Right?