Thu 15 May 2008
I had another great dental visit today! See, what Andy did this time was —
Just kidding. I’m not gonna write ANOTHER dentist post. Truth is, I’m feeling something embarrassment-like that in my 2 weeks of vacation, I went to a dentist THREE TIMES, four if you count the morning I returned to the 1st (scammer) dentist to pick up my x-rays from the day before. Who takes vacations like this?!
Sitting in Andy’s dental chair the past 2 days did get me thinking, though. I’ve got some crazy-successful friends. These are people I grew up with, and we were all along the same path when we were younger. For example, I went to elementary, junior high and/or high school with MOH Vicky, dentist Andy, godbro Jim, friend Lily. Dentist Andy, godbro Jim, roommate/bridesmaid Diana and I attended the same college. (Go Bruins!) And then I veered off and got into the court system job that I have now, while MOH Vicky attended USC Pharmacy School, bridesmaid Diana attended UC Berkeley Law School and dentist Andy attended NYU Dental School, friend Lily attended Medical School at UC Riverside and UCLA. Now, I’m STILL in the same dead-end low-prestige court system job, Andy now has a thriving dental practice in Pasadena, Vicky is a high-paid pharmacist with company car and expense accounts, Diana is an Intellectual Property attorney in a prestigious NorCal Law Firm, Lily is a medical doctor specializing in radiology, and Jim went on to found Formula Drift car racing. Somehow, racing shoulder-to-shoulder with the best of ’em, I sat down and wiggled my butt into the ground comfortably before reaching the finish line, making my own personal finish perhaps prematurely.
But do I regret anything? Given the chance, would I go back to grad school? No. I’m just complacent, I guess, and I’m actually fine with where I am. I guess my personal achievements are just gonna have to be things that are not dollar-sign or prestige oriented. Like, my day-to-day happiness is pretty high. I’m pretty content with who I am and have become. I’m proud of my interpersonal relationships. I tend to be respected among my colleagues and friends. There’s gotta be a reason why my accomplished friends still treat me like an equal, still come to me for advice, still go above and beyond (typically) in their support of me when I’m in need. Maybe I’ve chosen for my friendship circle wonderful people who don’t forget “us little people” when they get successful. But I’d like to think that it’s cuz professional accomplishments aside, I’m a great entertaining person who writes a great blog, goshdarnit.
your blog really IS goshdarnit great 🙂
i rarely remember what it is that my friends do, so it’s possible u may think about it more than they do.
personally, i keep my friends based on how infrequently they annoy me 😀
It’s great that you measure success based on your happiness and interpersonal relationships. =) It’s really easy to get caught up in the rat race and lose sight of what’s most important to us. A very good friend gave me a book called “The Measure of Our Success” by Marian Wright Edelman which touched on a lot of the things you blogged about in this post.
i think it’s all about living a fulfilling life, and that standard differs with each person. don’t forget about the person i told you about who is indisputably accomplished and intelligent but clearly lacks the personal support and friendship where in times of need, has to turn to people who are no longer part of her life,and do not wish to be, for comfort. now that is really sad.
and it would be even more sad if she were fat (i don’t think she is). 🙂
haha, i am feeling so mean today. in order to not suffer bad karma from this last comment, i am going to work out soon.
You are the best ‘goshdarned’ blogger ever ever…… look at it this way, you’re WAY more accomplished than MOST people.
🙂
anny – thanks!
You may have a point — I didn’t think about it that way. It could be that my friends don’t see me as “rat race Cindy” and just as “my friend Cindy who I grew up with.” Does that mean I’m paranoid with an inferiority complex? Eek!
Cheryl – if someone else had these thoughts and then published it, that must mean I’m NOT paranoid with an inferiority complex. Probably just too much time in the dentist’s chair, then. Haha. But being vulnerable in your childhood friend’s practice while he probes and grinds you in places you don’t let everybody into — that’ll make you stop and think! =P
diana – I actually don’t remember the person you’re describing. I’ll have to give you a jingle. But that IS a nightmare situation to me…OH WAIT, I KNOW NOW! Yeah, that’s pretty sad, that when you’re in the pits, you either choose to or can only turn to people who’ve long since left your life and moved on with their own, and you still believe you can interrupt and cause conflict within their lives with your problems. That’s pretty weird.
Jordan – I think it’s cuz of people around me at work (who obviously are stuck in the same rat race, except for the judges. and attorneys.) who keep telling me how greatly I’ve arranged my life, that I got complacent. Cuz to them, 7 years ago, they were like, “You’re educated, in a great stable job that you’re able to perform well, you have your house already, no car payments, got your future all structured, you’re better than MY kids!!!” So I thought, “Yeah! I guess I did do pretty good!” but didn’t stop and think, “Wait. They’re comparing me to their KIDS. They’ve been in this rat race for so many decades that they’ve brought kids into the world in it.”
Eh well, I’m still pretty satisfied. Work just isn’t my identity, I guess.