so, what do you do?

I have been in rebel mode this week, and you know what brought it on? ..... People keep asking me what I do !!!

I don't mean strangers walk up to me in the street and just blurt out "hi, what do you do?!" ... nothing so straight forward.

First there was a journalist wanting to write a little mention of the blog and needed some bio on me "and what would you say you do ... I mean for a living or to keep you busy?...."   hmmmm....

Then I needed to apply for a new passport and of course have to fill out the line 'Occupation'   hmmmm.....

And then my son had to complete some insurance forms for a school field trip, and among all the very many, and very useless questions came the inevitable 'profession of parents' ,  I mean what?!  really??   So that my son can jump on a bus and go off for the day with the class, the school needs to ask - again - what I do for a living!!

It's not only that I don't like labels, but it's also that I feel that we women today are so multi-functional that we can't be summed up in a one-word description.....  An average week sees me as a mother, a wife, a laundry maid, a painter, a gardener, brocanteur, taxi-driver, cook, blogger, writer, shopper, antique buff, friend, .......

The thought provoking moments continued:

Tish Jett, on her blog A Femme d'un Certain Age,  wrote a nice piece this week, that got us thinking about our epitaph   ...  so difficult to choose?!   ......

  personally I'm currently leaning towards "she never learnt to whistle".

A woman who just brought out a best selling book in France was interviewed on the radio.  The journalist asked how she would describe herself "as a writer, an artist, a woman, a wife? ....."  she burst out laughing and told him to come up with a decent question!

I have children thinking hard about their future lives and careers "WHAT are they going to be when they grow up?"  "darling I'm still trying to decide what I'll do, and I'm 30 years older than you!"

So all that got me wondering  ....

If you had to choose just one word to describe yourself what would it be?

  I don't mind if you come up with an adjective "wistful, beautiful, straight-talking, manual, impatient ...." or a career label "teacher, nuclear physicist, landscape gardener, mom ...."

I'm thinking on it , I may tell you my answer later today.

Oh yes, and if you're wondering what we ended up  putting on the school forms  ..... after a long debate I was labelled as 'elephant trainer' ......  if nothing else it will get them talking!

........o..O..o...........

PS.   Just loving the answers coming in below  .... here is the list so far of the one word titles you are happy to assume :

woman ... smart ...independant ... me ...  passionate  ....  workaholic ...  it all ....  loving ... happy  ....amazing ... creative ....survivor ...   compassionate  .... caregiver ....  nursery worker ....  retired  ....  umbrella  ....  juggler  ...  nurturer  ....  putterer  ....   encourager  ....  loner  ....lioness  ....  unemployed  .... inspiration ....food writer  ....procrastinator  ....  passenger ....  hedonist ....  CEO  ...  grateful ...singer ...  computer virus expert ....  wordly ... geneologist  ...polymath ...  multifaceted ...  practical ...  patient ...  problem solver  ...adventurer  ...  cheerful  .... complex .... pool girl .... eccentric ....  unique ... purposeful ...  nana  .... domestic engineer ... happy

keep 'em coming!!

Illustrations Schulz;  Google for woman's day 2013; New Yorker magazine