Monday, May 6, 2013

That Dreaded Question

Today in the land of Blog Every Day In May, Jenni has prompted us to answer the question "what do you do?" The catch is, you can't answer with your job. Thank goodness, because I don't currently have a job anyways. At least not one that brings in any real income.

my life isn't over just because I don't work in an architecture firm anymore

Back to that dreaded question of what do you do. It's awkward answering that question when you don't have a job. It usually ends with feeling the need to explain yourself, and that's never fun. No one should ever have to prove themselves worthy of acceptance or love. Those things are to be given freely no matter what kind of job a person does, or doesn't have. A job title alone doesn't tell anyone who you are, it just shows what you do for a living.


For too long I beat myself up over not having a job, and the last thing I needed was anyone else making me feel worthless for it too. Choosing to accept someone for who they are is one of the best gifts you could ever give. It took me some time realizing that applied to myself as well. Accepting yourself, faults and all, is one of the most important things you can do for your own well-being.

We can learn a great deal about acceptance by sitting down and talking with someone who's taking a different path in life. What's right for one person may not be right for another. We all make different choices in life. To each his/her own.

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To answer Jenni's prompt today, I'm answering with a list of some choices I make in life...

- - I love my husband.

- - My family and friends are often on my mind & in my thoughts.

- - I give money to homeless people. Who cares what they need it for. They clearly need some love.

- - Gossip has no place in my life. It's plain mean

- - I put a great amount of care into most everything I do. I don't like to half-ass anything.

- - When people tell me their difficulties in life, I do my best to listen without judging.

- - I hand write thank you notes when people do nice things for me.

- - I look for beauty in the world and enjoy sharing it.

- - Sometimes I even make beautiful things.

- - Laughter is good for you, so I try and take time to laugh about things.

I love getting to know someone before bringing up what they do for a living. People have so much more to offer the world than just their job. One of my favorite questions to ask someone I just met is where are you from? Obviously your hometown doesn't tell everything, but it gets the ball rolling in terms of getting to know some one's background and life. Everyone has a story, and one little piece of that story, for instance a job title, doesn't tell the whole picture. I'd hope one could look past my job status and really get to know me.

6 comments:

  1. I'm currently out of a job, so I TOTALLY get this. I probably could have written this list about myself. Stopping over from the linkup. Glad I found you!

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  2. I think this is my favorite Post a Day for May yet! As a military spouse, my husband and I haaaaaaaaate the question "What do you do?" We are firm believers that his military job is his day job, a way to pay the bills. It's not our lifestyle; it's not what defines us. In the same way, my 9-5 is the same. It's a part of who I am, but doesn't even begin to skim the surface. Again, great post! :)

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  3. I can totally relate... I recently left my job to stay home with our little guy. Wow, what a change. I always feel the need to explain "why" and what I do on a daily basis. We are more than what we do... Love this.

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  4. We contribute more to this world than just our jobs and judging someone based solely on whether they have one or not is seriously undervaluing their other contributions.

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  5. Perfect quote for an awesome post! I loved this :) I have actually had many of the same feelings and felt I had to justify my choice to stop teaching. I have since decided to stop answering that question with a long winded explanation as to why I made the choices I did and simply state, even to myself, that I didn't need a job to define me. I love your post, your thoughts on the quotes and your list of choices!

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  6. I had the HARDEST time becoming a house wife. I beat myself up daily for not contributing more financially, etc. Eric never EVER made me feel like I should feel bad, it was all me! Maybe it's the pressure that society puts on to have the best of everything because husband AND wife are working to buy everything this world has to offer. I don't know, but it was such a relief when I stopped beating myself up and embraced being a housewife (which is crazy busy!!)
    You are so sweet! I wish we could be friends in real life!

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