“What Do You Do?”
After I have written it all out, it seems like a lot.
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I was talking with someone recently about growing as a person — both at work and outside of work. We can continue to expand our knowledge and skills in ways that benefit all aspects of our person.
I was caught off guard with the question: “So, what do you do outside of work?”
After thinking for only seconds, I responded with what first came into my head.
I write.
“Well, I write. A lot.” I write in my blog, and have been blogging since 2009 (though I have since taken my original blog down). I write here on Medium occasionally with content that I don’t feel fits into my blog. I journal every day, recapping the minute details that no one cares about but me. And I try to grow and stretch in other ways — submitting to publications, or engaging in some type of self-prescribed creative practice.
I preciously guard this time to myself: every morning from the time I wake up around 5:30 until everyone else stirs about an hour later. Time in the evening between when the kids are tucked in and 8:00, usually another half an hour. And Sunday mornings — my time, to myself, from the time I wake up until about 8:30 a.m.
I use that time not only for writing, but for reading, planning out my day, or anything that I need to do for the entire family, like signing up for an event.
I spend time with my family.
“I am trying to cultivate my children. Raising small humans is hard.” Pause. “But not in a helicoptery-parent type of way.” Very intentionally, my kids are not involved in a lot of activities. They go to LEGO club one day per week after school for an hour. Sometimes in the Fall and Spring they opt for Run Club, which is a one-hour, once-a-week commitment, for only four weeks. In the summer I make them do swimming lessons. And that’s it.
On the weekends, we usually sit down for some type of “creative time.” They can write, draw, paint. They could opt for puzzles. We have designated Quite Time on the weekends for two hours a day, where they can nap, read, or play quietly (and the adults can nap — see what I’m going for here?) They have specific start-and-stop times for…
