Mindy Hazeltine, owner of Stumptown Dance, has what some people might consider the perfect job. She’d be the first to agree.

Mindy is the owner of Stumptown Dance, Portland’s largest weekly swing dance. She spends her life organizing dances, DJing, and teaching people to dance. “What do you call yourself?” I asked her. “That’s a good question!” she said. “There’s no title for this. They never know what to call me on my taxes. My insurance guy calls me a ‘dance school.”’ She laughed. “That’s the best he could come up with!”

The other night when I was talking with her, I just had to ask: so is there anything bad about your job? “The problem with it is that my hobby is my job,” she said. “I can’t just go dancing for fun, without feeling like I have to be there for some business reason. Going out dancing socially can sometimes feel like work. I always feel like I have to act a certain way or be a certain way.”

Bummer.

Yet anyone who knows Mindy can see that she is perfect for the job. She has a glow about her that comes from the sheer enjoyment of dancing, and she’s one of these people who instantly remembers the name of everyone she dances with. It is safe to say that she’s good friends with almost every dancer in the swing community. Of course she loves what she does.

So what’s the best thing about your job? “Every aspect of it is enjoyable in some way,” she immediately answered. “It’s flexible. I get to dance and do something fun for a living.” She paused for a second, thinking. “I guess the best part of it,” she said finally, “is just that I get to do it!”

Sounds good to me!