Ask the Priestess

There are many things one can do in life.  I teach languages; I have worked in offices; I've worked in shops; heck, I've even worked as a diamond grader! These are all great ways to earn a living. But I also have a "side gig" which brings me great joy. I'm a pet sitter.  It started as a favour. Someone with whom I'd worked together briefly asked me whether I'd be interested in looking after her friend's cat. It used to be her and her wife who did it, but they'd since had a child and could not help out. So I agreed. I got to spend a couple of weeks in a beautiful flat in old Amsterdam and look after a sweet older tabby boy, Primo (how very on the nose, that name).  Then, there was another favour, for another coworker's (from a different workplace) friend and her doggy. Then, it was my landlady's fish. Then, it was a colleague and their two cats. And then, it changed: Primo's mama was asked for a recommendation by her hairdresser, whose c...

Do you love your job? I love my job. I do, why do so many people look at me questioningly? Some think I am just trying to keep up a positive vibe; others, that I am faking it; yet some believe that I am pushing their buttons. But nope, honest to goodness, I love my job. My job is not the kind I thought I would ever have. Actually, I knew nothing about this industry before getting the position. Added to that, I left my previous post, as a manager in the field I had experience, to a degree I'd even say mastery, without any need to do so. Just because I felt I needed to grow, to try new things. So I did, and I don't regret it. My job is not glamorous, it won't make me famous, and beyond the salary (which is good, but nothing outlandish) it is no crazy scheme to make me rich. I also cannot really talk about the details with other people, not because of matters of National Security or similar, but because of simple client confidentiality. By the way, I work in a lab that c...