Dream Job

I really like being a teacher. Admittedly, I do much better with students who actually want to learn what I have to offer. I do even better in really small groups. I also like being the master of my own schedule. So sometimes the frustrations that go along with not having control over some of these things leads me to think about what my ideal job would look like.

I think it would look something like the event I organized and volunteered at on Saturday. The St. Pete Bike Co-op went out to Child’s Park Recreation Center to educate the community on how to fix and maintain bikes.

My part at this event was a little more administrative. I signed in the people who showed up, and I fitted helmets to the kids who wanted one (Most didn’t. They weren’t convinced when I told them it would make them go faster…). My ideal job at an event like this would be doing what Chris, the volunteer in the above picture, is doing. More wrenching and helping directly. Gotta work on my skills for that… I’ve got some bike wrenching knowledge, but I’ve got to amp it up.

What I love about events like this is that the participants, kids or adults, really get into it. They are really paying attention and really want to learn how to fix their bike! And you get the instant gratification of seeing them roll away on something that was previously broken in some way.

I also love the collaborative nature of this event. A friend put me in touch with Brother John from Community and Development Training Center, Inc. He helped to find a good day for the Rec. Center and community. He helped with advertising. And we’ll be working together in the future to keep taking this event out to the community.

Now, I don’t know if I have small attention span, or I just doing a lot of different things, but my ideal job would probably also involve art. I haven’t volunteered at an event in awhile, just doing low-key, behind the scenes board stuff, but NOMAD Art Bus has the right idea on that front. It’s motto is “art for all.”

You might know it best from seeing the art bus around town, but the mission is much bigger. One of the big projects right now is the Justice Studio. NOMAD art teachers go to the juvenile detention center and offer art outreach to the kids there. The kids recently created a really awesome mural at the facility with the help of the NOMAD teachers.

For both the art and cycling events, I love that these things empower individuals and the community. When I’ve volunteered at Art Bus events, so many adults sent their children in to paint the bus, but they hang back. “I can’t draw,” they exclaim! “Yes, you can,” I say in encouragement. And I give them ideas of things they could write or draw on the bus. Most aren’t convinced, but those that choose creativity never seem to regret it.

Same with the work the St. Pete Bike Co-op does. Sometimes people leave a little grumpy because their bike problem was too big to fix in one night. Or perhaps we didn’t have a necessary part. But in general, people leave empowered that they just helped to fix the problem on their bike. Hell, I ended up building an entire bike with the help of the Co-op volunteers! I felt comfortable enough to do a 500 mile bike tour in Canada because they trained me to be able to deal with problems. It’s amazing, and something I want to share.

My ideal job would also include meditation and yoga. We all need ways to quiet our minds. To reflect before we speak. To stay in the moment instead of worrying about the past and the future. So there would be plenty of zafus, cushions, benches to get your zen on. And of course an assortment of asana to get people moving with their breath.

Of course my ideal job would also have to include my newest passion: roller skating. I love this for the same reason I love art and cycling: it’s empowering and pushes me outside of my comfort zone.

Already I’ve heard so many people say why they wouldn’t try roller skating. “I’d fall down.” One guy told me that I couldn’t roller skate on sidewalks / pavement. “Usually people go to roller rinks with those skates.” I thanked him for his opinion and continued to try to skate on the pavement. (I got better after awhile. Definitely more challenging than skating in a rink!)

I further proved “no skating on pavement guy” wrong on Friday when I took my skates to Flatwoods Park for a roll. I missed my turnoff around the loop and turned a 7 mile roll into 12 miles. It was the first time I’d ever really skated far outside of a rink, and then to add 5 extra miles!? I’ve never run 7 miles, let alone 12. My max for running was a 10k (6.2 miles). Whew! I was tired, but it felt so much better than running. Which is why I bought the skates in the first place. So it seems I made the right decision. And I’m styling too!! 😉

So what’s my ideal job? Some sort of cycling, roller skating, mindfulness, yoga, art co-op where we fix and build bikes, plan and go on bike tours, go roller skating around St. Pete, practice yoga, practice meditation and other acts of mindfulness, and create wonderful expressions of art!!

Anyone with $1 million want to sponsor this endeavor! 🙂