This is part of an on-going series I’ll be writing to my children. See all of them here.

What is your dream job and why?

Kids, I’ve always, always wanted to be a zookeeper.

When I was a little girl, Grammy Tammy would take me to the San Diego Wild Animal Park. I dreamed of wearing that zookeeper uniform – khaki bermuda shorts, a khaki button-up shirt, and tall boots with thick, khaki socks – when I was all grown up. (I should point out that in my fantasy, my skin was dark and tan from working in the sun all day.) I dreamed of this glorious life of nursing animals back to health. I dreamed it would be like a Disney movie where I’d be able to talk to the animals, and I’d have this “sixth sense” and just know what they needed.

To being fulfilling this dream, I worked at a veterinary hospital for nearly three years in high school. I got barfed and pooped on by a deceased dog, I always came home with blood on my scrubs, I helped birth basset hound puppies, I helped clean a goose that was mauled by a coyote, and I gave kittens a lime sulfur bath to treat ringworm. I calmly held dogs in my lap as they passed away, and I nursed dogs back to health after invasive surgeries. I treated a dog going through chemotherapy for cancer, I took x-rays of angry felines, helped a dog that lost his leg, and cleaned up poop. I helped draw blood and give shots, got attacked and bit and scratched by many vicious cats and dogs, and I helped with routine exams and spay/neuter surgeries. I thoroughly loved my job.

But I didn’t love math and science. I had the hardest time calculating doses and being quick on my feet in emergency situations. My job was anything but routine – it kept things from getting boring, but it was too chaotic for me. And the hours were long. As much as I loved animals, I didn’t envision it as something I could do for the rest of my life.

My dream job resurfaced in making art in college. I love to hand-draw and hand-letter things, and I discovered with an art degree I could pursue my dream of having a family AND making art. It was a better match for me than being a zookeeper, although I’ll always miss the opportunity to have tan legs. ;)