While I certainly adore being a romance writer, I have to confess that there are times when the job can be stressful…facing deadlines, worrying that your new book isn’t as good as the last book, reading a negative review or two. It got me to thinking about some of the jobs that seem, well, blissful, so I hit good old Google and found a list of the least stressful jobs. It’s a subjective list, of course, so bear with me.

 

Forester. Quite. Does anyone actually know a forester? What do they do all day? When I picture it, I imagine a person in a Smokey the Bear hat, wandering around Yellowstone, gazing at the trees. Obviously, there’s a lot more involved, but I bet there’s a fair amount of tree-gazing, too.

 

Toolmaker. I know McIrish would probably have a ball doing this. Personally, I’d probably doze off and cut off my thumb, which would be pretty stressful…

 

Florist. I have my doubts about how stress-free this job would be, but the up side is all those flowers. When stressed, a person could just bury her nose in a bouquet of roses and not emerge till the blood pressure had come down.

 

Dog walker. I’d think the personality of dog/walker/owner would be key, but it sure looks like fun, especially to those of us who prefer canine company to human. Whenever I see a pack of dogs coming my way in NYC, the walker always seems quite cheery.

 

House sitter. Oh, definitely! I wouldn’t mind doing this for a summer in some fabulous house on the coast of Oregon or Washington. Anyone looking?

 

Janitor. As someone who relaxes as she vacuums (all the little problems, sucked right up!), I can relate to the bliss of being a janitor. The janitors in my schools (and my kids’ schools) seem to be among the happiest people I’ve ever met.

 

Fishing guide. Again, wicked fun…in theory. Until you encounter giant mosquitoes or realize that you’re most likely to catch fish before 5 a.m.

 

Mathematician. I don’t know a lot of mathematicians, but I’m guessing that they’re people who find the certainty and reliability of numbers soothing. I often say to my kids when they’re stumped on their math homework, “Relax. There’s an answer, and we’ll find it.” As the saying goes, the numbers don’t lie.

 

In case you’re wondering, there was also a list of the most stressful jobs. In the top ten on the list was my own dear husband’s profession — firefighter; also taxi driver; NFL football player; and surgeon. The number one most stressful job? President of the United States. Maybe when Mr. Obama leaves office, he’ll take up forestry.

 

Have you ever had a job that was a pleasure to go to, so relaxing that it hardly felt like work? What would you like to try someday?