What do you do?

One of my favorite (read: hated) questions is "What do you do?" As a young twenty-something who seems to be meeting new people around every corner, it is a question I'm asked...often. To this day I have never come up with a truly decent answer. It's because I fight the battle of finding identity within "what I do" that this question is so terrible. See it's not a simple question about occupation for me. This overpowering request for information enters my ears as "What are you doing with your life? Be careful what you say, for I will most definitely judge your entire person based on your answer."

Because of the terror that plagues my being when asked this one simple question, I have spent many a moment trying to come up with a good way to answer. I'm sure that all of this thought over one simple conversation-starting question seems a bit unnecessary, but I tend to over think many an irrelevant issue. So I think about it. A lot. Earlier this week I was asked this very question in a small group, get-to-know-ya kind of setting. My answer?

Hi. I'm Torrye. I graduated from North Greenville, and right now I watch kids.

Really?

I watch kids?

Anyone know of a busy playground? or the latest in binoculars?

Wow. The embarrassment that followed this utterance was, well, embarrassing. People noticed the creepiness of my comment, and talked about it. Not in a rude way...just jokingly. But still, my response was talked about. And my entire goal had been to answer in the most simple way possible in order to avoid drawing any extra attention my direction.

Mission: failed.

Moral of the story? Extreme amounts of deliberation over this one question are quite ridiculous, and don't guarantee delivery of a "normal" first impression.

Aah. That's really the key isn't it? Too much thought about what others think leads to despair. OK so despair might be a bit dramatic. Just go with it. We care too much about the impression we give. Yes, there is something to be said for conducting ourselves in a manner worthy of respect. But there is also something to be said for simply doing what you do and being content with(if not proud of)it.

Some people I know are doing exactly what they wanted to be doing in life. They are stable financially. They live in only one place. Their cars start up every morning like clockwork.

They are sometimes happy and sometimes sad.

Others are more like myself,wandering around a bit, moving from one thing to the next. They can't always make ends meet. They don't stay in one place for very long. They don't have the most reliable transportation.

They are sometimes happy and sometimes sad.

This is life. We do what we can to get by, and hopefully a little more.

Sometimes we are happy.
Sometimes we are sad.
Sometimes we are surrounded by love.
Sometimes we are lonely.
Sometimes we are proud of what we tell others.
Sometimes we are embarrassed.


"Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."

Thanks Paul.

Plain and simple: All of my effort in regulating the impression I leave on others is worthless. Their thoughts don't matter. His do, and He loves me...always.End of story.