On June 13th I'm turning 40. Honestly, I never thought I'd make it to this age because it seemed so "old". Well, I'm nearing that point and knock-on-wood, healthy. This week has been hard and I've been reconsidering my career. Being a dentist makes one an easy target for many things. The comments regarding "I hate the dentist" or as brash as "I hate you" tends to wear on a person after some time. My patients are my first priority and I will go through Hell to make sure they are happy and comfortable but it is often lost on the ignorant. This is what has made me dream of winning the lottery and spending my time treating people who appreciate the hard work it takes to care for them. Yes, I did select this career and as I was so appropriately told by someone this week "it must go with the territory" I do not look forward to or welcome meanness.
So, if I win the lottery, I'm going open a free clinic and only see the people who love me. Selfish- you betcha. Until you go through the daily grind of dealing with people who have gotten themselves into a bad situation and want to blame anyone but themselves, it is better left calling me cynical. Just a little vent to help me finish out a week of 12 hr days and continuous on-call nights for little more than self-satisfaction- sigh...
My life insurance is paid for by the way;) I plan to hit 86 and call it day at that point, so if anyone is feeling sorry for me, don't be; I'm going to be a florist in my next career so I can smell the flowers on a daily basis and enjoy the beauty of a world I could only dream of being able to create.
I hope you charge mean people more? ;-) I love my dentist. Didn't enjoy the root canal, but he made it pretty painless, and my dental technician husband's colleague made me a beautiful crown, so I'm a bit biased.
ReplyDeleteI can't understand people who say stuff like that to dentists. Apart from the appalling rudeness, why risk antagonizing the person who wields the drill. And the anaesthestic?