What Do You Do?

Sometimes I get down on myself because I don’t have just one thing vocationally. While my husband has been single-minded in his pastor role as long as I’ve known him – my life work has always been – a little bit of this, a little bit of that.

Aside from being a wife and mom (my primary roles) over the last 20 years, I have worked at one time or another at all of the following jobs:

preschool teacher* author * summer camp director * speaker * teaching facilitator * community affairs director *  theater arts teacher *  professional organizer * church drama director *errand runner * radio dj * magazine contributor * substitute teacher * collaborative writer * small group leader … and the list goes on and on and on and on.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot this week because of Jenny’s comment here. And because I am in a season of hormonal hallucinations. (None of them are interesting in participating with each other in dealing me a balanced day.) But that’s another story.

In short, I just wish I could answer this sentence with ease when asked:

What do you do?

But I can’t. And I never have. And I was pretty frustrated about it until I read Jenny’s comment. Because after reading her comment, I spent time on her blog. It’s gorgeous. And I thought to myself: How could Jenny miss how beautiful this is? And as soon as I thought that … I realized something profound about Jenny – and about me.

We’re multiple bloomers. One plant – lots of little blossoms. Unlike a single stemmed orchid with one obvious, magnificent, long-lasting bloom – we’re going to be more like a vinca. With little blooms of purpose that come – and go. Because that’s the way God made us.

Scientist now tell us there is more than one way to be smart – multiple intelligence. I think there is more than one way to have vocational life purpose – multiple impact.

I guess I am saying that there is more than one way to be. And it’s okay to be a multiple bloomer. And in desiring to encourage Jenny in this truth … I realized it for myself.

Upon looking back over a life-time, I think Jenny and I will be to see loads of small, profuse, purposeful blooms. And find unimaginable beauty there.

So …

What do you do?