I don’t wake up at 6:00 a.m. in the morning, shower, and put on my business suit. There are no more conference calls or long discussions about legal statutes with my clients. My footsteps don’t click-clack through the metal detector at the courthouse and I am not perusing through my client files right before the Judge comes to sit on the bench. I am not collecting a paycheck, at least not the monetary kind.
My morning routine is completely different these days. I wake up in the morning and the precise moment, my foot touches the carpet, I hear “Momma, Momma, Is it time to wake up now?” My daughter doesn’t wait for my answer and runs toward my bed. The morning begins at 6:30, no matter what time she slept the night before. I assist her, my primary client, in her morning routine, helping her brush her teeth, bathing her, and putting on her dress or pants, depending on what she wants to wear. We comb her hair together and bolt down the stairs. She is ready to eat breakfast while I am making her lunch for school. After the spoon hits the cereal bowl, we climb into the car, and I drop her off at school.
When I return, the house is empty. But this is the time when my work begins. Most days I look at a computer screen, blank, untouched, waiting for me to type words, something that lends meaning to myself and others. I write, not as a hobby, but as a profession. But to others, this is not work. It is a hobby, because I don’t collect a paycheck for my words. I am not driving to an office or making conference calls or sitting in traffic for the long commute home.
Sometimes people say to me, “You don’t work”. I was bothered by this statement initially, but I have accepted that people will always perceive that I really don’t work. I can’t change that perception. In response, I nod my head in agreement, knowing that, yes, I don’t derive a paycheck, but I am privileged to be able to pursue what I define as my work, my family and my writing.
Welcome! I am a lawyer turned freelance writer, essayist, and editor. On staff at Literary Mama and the co-founder and co-editor of the literary journal, The Sunlight Press, my essays and reported work have appeared in The Washington Post, The Lily, Saveur, Civil Eats, Brain, Child, ESPN and elsewhere. I am currently at work on a memoir on grief and culture and how it provides perspective on life’s ordinary graces. I invite you to appreciate the ordinary with me. I hope my daily practice of seeing the magic in the mundane helps you celebrate and find more of these moments in your life too.
You’re a writer. And writing is not just your career or profession…it’s your purpose.
I’m so glad that you’ve finally decided to “just write.” (remember?) 🙂
Thanks for the encouraging message, lil sis. Appreciate your feedback. I do remember the coffee cup – it sits with me everyday when I write.
I think that being a stay at mom is the hardest job there is. People who say otherwise haven’t done it and are clueless. You’re doing a great job and I’m sure your family appreciates it!
Thanks Kathy. You are always so encouraging and on most days I think my family appreciates it! Hope all is well with you and the family. Miss you all.
What matters is that you find value in your day. If you are doing what you want to do, feel like you are where you need to be now, than that is what makes all the difference. In the end, a job is just a job. But meaning is found in pursuing dreams, doing what we really want to be doing with our time. Sounds like you’ve at least made a few steps toward that. I’m working on figuring that out for myself.
Christine,
I am definitely trying to figure things out. There are moments when I want to revert back to the old me, but have to stop myself because the new me is trying to pursue those dreams. If you figure it out before me, please let me know. I could always use some help.
That which is not work is often the most important and meaningful of all. So hat’s off to all the non-working women who spend countless hours with no vacation time and little recognition for all the non-work that they do. The rewards are unparalleled and worth every minute!!
I agree Sashaa. There is the recognition that as a mother you realize everytime your child smiles, hugs and kisses you. Every single time it is worth it to receive this unconditional love. Thanks for reading and commenting.