One thing that I have noticed, once I realized that I'm not "just a", is that I am expressing a different level of pride in what I do. I have always been proud of what I do (911 dispatcher) even though, when I started in this career about 20 years ago, it was always implied (from police officers and fire fighters) that 911 dispatching was what people did that just "couldn't cut it" or were on "light duty" and couldn't work the streets, heck, the government still doesn't recognize 911 dispatchers as first responders (we are considered secretarial staff)! It was hard to not add "just a"… "Oh, I'm just a dispatcher".

I am also more vocal about mental health and how important it is to just stop… slow your breathing and take a moment to think about something you're grateful for, this will help to ground you, bring your heart rate down and help flip the switch to positivity.

Thank you, Lori, for handing these cards out to not only myself but also our coworkers during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week! It was a great reminder that… We are NOT "just a" dispatcher or telecommunicator!