Sharing my world

Today I decided to start blogging. Blogging about what? I'm unsure at this point. Ideas will certainly pop into my brain as the days go by, right?  For now, I'm content to roll thoughts around in my head and hope to find a way to put them down on paper. Well, actually into cyberspace as it were.

I'm a 911 dispatcher and, as such, I get to see the worst of people along with the best of them and each day I get a view into all walks of life.  Quite often I wonder what makes me tick in this field of work.....why do I do it and how does one survive consistently seeing the not so happy side of society? Some might say, don't take it personally. That's easier said than done and there's an art to doing so. 

I know a lot of folks don't appreciate what dispatchers do. That's okay though because you'll probably never find a dispatcher who's in it for the "thank you". No, we do it knowing that what we do is right and good for the most part. (I say 'most part' because believe it or not dispatchers are human, too, and make mistakes.)  We do it because it's nice to send help to people and make a positive difference in the world each day, no matter how small. Some days are frustrating just as in any job. But at the end of each day there's at least one call or one dispatch that makes it all worthwhile. We also do it because no two days or calls are ever the same.  One minute there's calm, the next minute it's chaos which is why Type A personalities thrive in a dispatch center.  

I'm proud of what I do. I believe when I retire I'll be able to look back and smile at what I've done, the people I've met (though if only by phone) and the lives I've touched. It's amazing to me to think of the number of their lives that have touched me and will, in some small way, be with me forever.