The Careers I'll Never Have...But They Fascinate Me Anyway.

If you'd told 18-year-old Bekah that she would one day work in Financial Aid, she'd have said, "I'm sorry....WHAT!?!?!!" And if you'd said to that same girl that she'd also work in radio, she'd have cracked up laughing on the spot.

Funny how God's paths lead, isn't it?

Financial Aid was a refining time and radio is a sweet joy I never expected to know.

And no...I'm not looking for a new career, but as I did my nails last night {at home, on the floor, in my jammies} I thought what I always think when I do my nails....this would be a fun job.

So I thought it might be fun to tell you the jobs I've always secretly thought would be fun to do...even though I'm sure they come with their own unique set of frustrations. And unless God has some really well-hidden plan in my future, I sincerely doubt I'll ever do any of these things. But it's fun to chat about anyway.

1. Nail Tech. I figured I'd start there since, you know, that's what got me started on this path. I haven't been one to go get a manicure every week in my adult life, but for two short seasons, I did treat myself to a little salon time on a regular basis, and both times I became dear, dear friends with my nail tech. Dee and Debbie made that hour something I not only looked forward to because it made me feel pretty, but because I just loved them. I loved swapping stories and sharing friendship with them. They touched my life in unique ways through our chats, and I've always thought that would be the neatest part of that kind of job.

I'm sure the long hours, the sometimes-canceled appointments, the picky clients, and the sometimes {gulp} less-than-hygenic crowd could make this a challenging occupation, but I still think it would be a fun one. {Who can't love playing with nail polish for a living?}

2. Massage Therapist. Oh wait. Just kidding. I don't want to BE one. I just want to GET a massage every week! HA!! Again...not something I've indulged in very often in my life, but every rare, rare, rare, now and then, I go for a massage, and oh my goodness. I'm sort of melting into the couch right now just thinking about it! My reasons for loving this are similar to the nail tech route...being your own boss and having the chance to help people relax and feel better are great things. Plus...being in a good-smelling room with soft lighting and sweet music all day can't hurt your blood pressure, right?

Again, the long hours, the hard physical work of delivering the perfect pressure, and being on your feet all day would be tough, but I would imagine that the occasional massage-swapping with someone else would make for that at least in part, right?

3. Working at a B&B. Not owning it. That's a lot of pressure. Just working there. I love beds and I love breakfast, so put the two together, and that's good, right? I've been to a handful in my day and always thought it would be fun to interact with the guests, cook the breakfast {gotta find one that serves breakfast around noon! HA!} and have a cute little innkeeper apartment to "commute" home to each evening. Talk about seeing only the good in the job, right?

I've actually read up quite a lot on this line of work and know it's awfully taxing. Guests can be hard to get along with, the work can be really physical and tiring, and the hours are long. And weekends? They're probably not happening. But still. It intrigues me.

4. Barista. You had to know coffee would make it on this list. You had to. I've never worked in a coffee shop and to be painfully honest, I'm not sure I'm smart enough to learn all the little techniques. But I hold fast to my position that any job spent literally immersed in coffee cannot be a bad one. And the story-lover in me has always felt it would be wonderful to get to know all the regulars and learn their drinks and serve them.

Again, pretty sure learning the craft might be beyond me...and I'm sure the inconsistency in hours would be hard to get accustomed to, but I still think it would be fun to try. Actually, of all the things on this list, THIS is the one that seems most likely to actually happen to me in a future season.

The common denominator here seems to be the joy of interacting with others. Jobs of service: sure, they can be hard, but man can they ever be rewarding.

Any secret job dreams for you? Tell me! I might want to dream about them too!!