A Day in the Life

If you ask me who I am, and what I do for work, there are many ways that I could answer you. What I tell you will probably depend on where I am and the context of our conversation. I could tell you everything but that would be quite time consuming, and likely we should be spending some time talking about you too.

If you’re a stranger, you’re probably going to get a quick one-word answer, but if I know you or are someone I’m going to know, I’ll give you a more in-depth answer. Sitting down to write this text, I cannot help but think about who each of us is, and how we show only a small part of ourselves to others.

For those who know me during the week during the day, I’m an administrative assistant working at a senior’s facility. With a pandemic in progress, all of our days begin and end with the hope that none of our personnel or clientele become infected by this potentially deadly disease, even though we’ve received our vaccinations. Most of the time I’m in my office working behind the scenes doing accounting work but my heart and thoughts are with all of the residents, employees and their families who have struggled since the start of Covid-19. It is so wonderful to be able to hear the sounds of bingo in our living room again. I hope that things can continue in an upward direction to allow group activities to continue. In this role, it is important not to allow the what ifs that swirl around in my mind to take over.

When I get home for the day, and on the weekends, I’m a farmer. I have cows, goats, and chickens to look after. Some people will probably never understand this side of me or how excited my animals are to see me. There is something wonderful about cultivating relationships with farm animals. I love talking to them and having them greet me. Many of them know their names, just like cats and dogs.

I’m also a pet owner and seven days a week my companions are there to keep me company. All they ask in return is that I clean up after them and make sure they have food and water. And at the end of the day when I sit down to watch TV or read a book, they’re happy to sit with me. When I decide to crochet, my cats sometimes want to help, but over the years we’ve reached a compromise that still lets me get projects done.

I’m also a writer. In addition to writing my own articles and short stories like I have for several Vocal challenges; I also have clients that I work for. So far, I have worked in 23% of the world’s countries. I’m fascinated by this opportunity. I get to create for people all around the world without ever leaving my house. I can wear my pyjamas to work. Some clients are occasional, and I’ll complete just a job or two for them. There are others that I’ve been working with for years. One of my clients is an author and working for her team with has employees in several countries of the world including the Philippines is amazing. It’s like belonging to a family you’ve never met before. The author writes magical books and working with her team is an incredible escape into the world of pixies, fairies, gnomes, and unicorns.

When I think about my life and the many roles that I play in a day, I cannot help but consider the balance that is required. And, likely if each of you reading this were to break down your days into the multiple roles that you play as caretakers, parents, teachers, friends, employees etc., you’d be wondering the same thing. The best answer I can give myself and all of you is that we must be forgiving of ourselves when sometimes we cannot be and do everything that we’d like. We need to remember to prioritize and breathe. Cherish each day and look for the brightness in them. There’s always something to be thankful for, even when some days we feel bogged down. That’s why I started keeping a list of something I’m grateful for. But that’s a story for another day.