I am silly... but so are my friends
Well, you know what my name is, but what I’m pondering today is what you say after that.
How do you answer the question, “What do you do?” Is it all about your career, your family, your hobbies, or… ?
See, I’m rather non-traditional, and my answer varies (as I’m sure yours do too) based on the situation, setting, etc.
At Junior League conferences, my title (currently President Elect) is slapped under my name, along with the name of my League. However, the rest of my identifiers are muddy.
Firehouse? Well, I’m Mrs. Chief, membership chair, life member… daughter of the station’s first chief…
Work? I don’t even have a job title. Seriously. I work for my inlaws. The end.
Knitting instructor? I don’t think I’ve introduced myself the same way twice, even though I have taught some topics a couple of times.
Dog-ma? Well, I’m just usually the bill payer holding onto the leashes while the world makes sweet-talk with the girls…
It’s not that I lack an identity or purpose in my life. I joke that I spent too many years in diversity workshops in the fire service and I don’t like to be pigeon-holed, but the fact is, we all like to hear more about the people we’re trying to connect with, don’t we?
Chan Knits 
Very interesting topic today. I don’t know that I’ve met anyone new in a long time that I have to introduce / describe myself too. I think my blog intro does a good job – I’m (mostly) happily married to my last husband, I have raised 2 fabulous daughters and we have 4 dogs. I knit, sew and work full time. While my work is alot of what I do – I do not think it defines me. In fact, I only grudgingly added ‘office manager’ to my signature and frankly it follows ‘legal assistant’ not the other way around.
these days however I would probably say something like – I’m a 40 something happily married empty nester. We have dogs, I create – knitting and sewing – and my job pulls me way too thin. 🙂 I’m working on finding balance and health. g
I’m suddenly picturing the guy who snatched his business card away when Stephanie Pearl-McPhee answered him as to what her NYTimes bestselling books were about. It does feel good to say you’re a published author, though, so I tend to mention that.
I remember (not easy as it was decades ago) a first–and last–date I had with an engineer. Keep in mind, this was DC, type A personality. Not even sure how we met. I knew it was a mistake within 3 minutes. He kept trying to pigeon-hole me as a “type” — in reply to any answer about who, what, where I was in the world. “Oh, your this type” or “that type” was his response after each and every answer I made. By the third time he had done that, I became very creative with my answers so that by the end of the night he thought I was a combination of a short Cher, an Eleanor Roosevelt, and a Mata Hari all in one. Needless to say…never saw him again..thankfully.
Oh boy, did you ever hit a nerve on this one! I have a whole blog post that I’ve been planning on this very topic and now I may give it a little push to get posted.
Sue
Firstly I LOVE the picture and now I see where The Diva gets her modeling talent ;).
Try ‘explaining’ housewife/mother…gggrrr…or better yet the age old question in response, “oh, so you don’t work outside the home?”
Right Kathy? Because only “working” inside the home and raising children is less than noble. More people should consider doing it. However, I did always hate the term housewife – ummm, no. I’m not married to my house 😉
I applaude you staying home, raising your kids, and doing the hard work. g
Just say< HEllo my name is CHan and IM Kathy b's swap partner…
Guess who found swap yarn in DOor County…
ohhh lucky you…
I try not to answer. Self employed sounds snotty or desperate. Housewife is sneered at. How could you possibly be happy just being a wife and Mommy? Don’t you know you have to be feminist now? Not having a career is soooo….2 generations ago! Yeah. Not a conversation I like.
Of course, when I was younger, if someone ticked me off, I’d tell them I can do anything they can, and better. It’s not a popular answer.
Hi, I’m Ruth. They want more than that? They may have to ask me…I’m bad that way. For years I was known by my relationships to others…so and so’s daughter, sister, etc…then Jim’s wife, or pick-a-name’s mother. Whatever…:-)
Hi, I’m jessica. I let dogs in, let dogs out. let dogs in, let dogs out. let dogs in, let dogs out. ALL DAY LONG.
Hi, I’m jessica. I let dogs in, let dogs out. let dogs in, let dogs out. let dogs in, let dogs out. ALL DAY LONG. Oh, gotta go…the dogs want out.
That always used to annoy me at reunions. Everyone stood up and you should have heard the talent in the room. It made me want to sink lower and lower in my chair and hope they didn’t find me, stay-at-home mother, volunteer and JL Board member.
Now I can just say RETIRED and smile. 🙂
Very interesting subject. What do I do? I think my answer depends on who I am with at the time. At work I’m a geophysicist. At the park I’m a pretty decent runner. At the dog park I’m the person who throws the ball for Lucy. All of these are me, but none of them completely describe me.
Love the glam photo! Looks like a fun group of gals 🙂
I just say Hi I’m Claudia and let that lay that sink like a rock. I’m too tired to say more and don’t like to explain and am, in case you cant’ tell, not terribly social.
lol Well, on official forms I’m labeled as Secretary/Treasurer of hubster’s company. In person, I usually label myself as a “Glorified Maid” or “Official Herder”. Cats, dogs, kids, husband, employees…I herd them where they need to go. 😉
LOVE this post… and like you, I seem to wear many hats and have many different answers as well….. I wish I could say “knitter” more but my mojo is off in never-never land……crew chief seems to be the dominate one as of late, as well as Crazy Dog Lady / Doggy Mama / Puppy Mama…..
While I answer to Speed Knitter, Writer, Spinner, Re-enactor, Wife, Friend, Daughter, and Mama to two fur babies, I myself hate labels. It isn’t what we are, but who we are.
And you, my dear, are wonderful.