I'm not going to try to explain why I stopped. Let's just leave it to the fact that I had a huge credability crisis on my own.
I'm much the same, though. Shorter hair. An invisibly wee bit older. Waiting for a new pair of intellectual (mid life crisis?) glasses to arrive. Picture from the optic store.
Like most women in Sweden I have a full-time job. This has for a long time been a stressor to me. Not the hours as much as the identity it supposedly gives me. My job is not as creative as I would've wanted but this is, for many reasons the one I've got. I used to teach but I got a bit bored of the politics in education so I quit. That was a bit more creative than my current occupation, but that didn't help much.
This hasn't been a big problem but I've felt a bit limited because people seem to judge who you are from how you make your money. But suddenly last weekend in a conversation with friends, Johan said "but you don't have to answer a question about what you do with how you make your living. If someone ask you what you do, or what your work is, you are allowed to answer with 'poetry, changing the world, raising kids or travelling' or whatever you want". How true.
This has led me to phrase all sorts of interesting and true work that I do.
So I:
¤ make a difference - world improver
¤ raise four kids - improvisional artist as well as councellor of career and matters of the heart
¤ try to recycle as much as I can - environmental activist
¤ figure out at least one novel plot a day - visionary author
¤ have a nice and clear soprano voice - singer
¤ make my best dinners when there really isn't anything in the fridge - chef
¤ put textile items together - textile artist
The list could go on. It's not hybris. It's a question af definition, more like "because I say so..."
God. I've missed this. What do you do?
15 kommentarer:
My darling Anna
What I do?
I miss Anna and wonder how she is going and then have the utterly fantastic surprise to see her writing again.
Much love
Mary
Child wrangler, animal trainer, philosopher, psychologist, dreamer
ON MY GOSH I'M SO EXCITED THAT YOU'RE BACK!!! THAT'S WHY I'M WRITING IN YOUR COMMENTBOX IN CAPITAL LETTERS.
I LOVE THAT PHOTO OF YOU, AND GUESS WHAT... I HAVE A PAIR OF GLASSES WHICH ARE SIMILAR!! THEY'RE AWESOME.
I MISSED YOU SO MUCH AND I THINK OF YOU EVERY DAY. IN FACT, ONLY THIS MORNING I WAS READING THE LATEST AUSTRALIAN VOGUE AND ITS THEME THIS MONTH IS "COLOUR FIESTA" AND I THOUGHT OF HOW MUCH I MISS YOUR FABULOUS LOVE OF, AND TALENT FOR, COLOUR.
WELCOME BACK DEAR FRIEND.
E XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I'm back.
Forgot to mention how fabulous your banner is.
Ex
Also, could you please tell me the name of your lipstick? I love it. Thanks.
Anna, I've missed you!! I've pondered many of the same things you touched on in this post, and have thought about giving up on my blog, too...I'm trying to post once a week, but sometimes even that is difficult!
What do I do? For money, I'm a secretary in a large metro hospital (which has nothing to do with the fact that I studied English literature and art history in college). For life I'm a mother, wife, knitter, seamstress, head chef and cruise director for this little family of mine.
xoxox - it's good to see and read you again!
Brilliant list! LUFF It! I'd add "Community organizer--pulling people together for a common good" and "Spiritual mentor" and "Jam-master."
Welcome back!
You're back! (Eleanor told me so.) Welcome back, Anna! We missed you. And those glasses? Marvelous!
PS-I love your job descriptions. I would love to answer someone's question about what I do with a list like that!
Dear Anna!
Love the list! Must figure out what I would like to answer next time someone asks me what I do....I don`t need to say welcome back though because I have a huge advantage to the all the others - I get to see you IRL!!! Wohooo! But still love that you are posting again!
See ya soon
Jeanette
PS You`re glasses looks abit like a pair I planned to order....midlife crisis you say....bothersome....
I am so happy that you are back! Please stay!
Eleanor let us know you are back and it is so good to see you!
My daughter tells her friends and teachers that I am an inventor. If I'm feeling particularly bubbly about what I'm doing that week, I go with that description ;-). And luckily it even covers my cooking!
I usually say I'm a housewife, but it is a huge. Conversation. Killer. Then again, if I say I'm a writer or knitter or blogger or connoisseuse of naps, it feels like I'm being defensive about the whole housewife thing.
I got nothin'.
Oh Anna, you are a very glamorous looking author/activist/artist/chef/singer! I love those glasses and that lipstick.
How lovely to have you back in the blogworld.
Suse
mother, worker, knitter, shower-singer, benevolent dictator.
x
I'm not sure if my comment came through or not, but I left a note saying welcome back and I love your glasses and your lipstick and the fact that you're back in blogland!
Suse
mother, worker, knitter, shower-singer, benevolent dictator.
Oh, how wonderful to discover that you are back writing again.
I love all that you do, your list is excellent.
I hate that modern society judges us on our jobs - I guess it's something that passes down from people who have those exciting jobs that we all dreamed about having when we grow up. I mean, really, did the woman who cleans the toilets at a shopping centre really dream that would be her job. We are all so much more than what our payslip says. {When I filled in the official forms for the births of both my children, I wrote occupation as artist and designer, rather than the retail manager I was at the time of their birth.... Didn't I feel naughty saying what I felt I was, or could be, rather than what I was paid for}.
Glad that you're here, and 'doing good'. Love your new blog header.
E xx
I am retired now and people still ask what I do?? so you have helped me with answers. I am a Mormor of 3 and mother of 4 which was and is hard work. Missed your blogging and just checked on you via Jeanette. You are fun together. thank you!
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