But since I have done none of these things and have instead lived a pretty ordinary life, I have hesitated for a few seconds before answering. Usually I explain that I was a stay-at-home mom, but that all of our children are now grown. But I’ve also realized that doesn’t really answer the question. I do have a job, of sorts--I am a self-employed personal trainer--but that currently only takes up about an hour and a half per week, so that doesn’t really answer the question either. I’ve been trying to come up with some other answers for the next time I run into an old friend who wants to catch up on life, so here is a brief list of some other possible answers:
- I sew quilts (in whatever spare time I have).
- I binge on TV series on Netflix (usually only while I’m sewing, but it depends on how compelling the series is).
- I am the ward Relief Society president (this takes up varying amounts of time).
- I am planning a wedding.
- I am training for a half-marathon (this will be over in a month).
- I travel--with Joel whenever I can, and to see family.
- I tell myself that I am finally going to organize all of my closets, my recipes, my quilt patterns, but I never do (obviously this only takes up a few microns of my time).
- I spend a lot of time thinking about food, mostly trying to pre-think my food choices so I can stay on the healthy bandwagon.
- I make lots of lists, because I have a healthy addiction to good pens and small, portable notebooks, even though I have a perfectly good iPhone with a notes app (which, admittedly, I also use to make lists, but I don’t enjoy it as much).
So that is, generally, what I “do,” though I think that people only ask that because it's what's socially acceptable to ask. I've decided that people who were truly my friends don't really want to know is not what I do, but if and how I’ve changed from when they used to know me. “How have you changed since I last saw you?” would lead to a much more interesting conversation, I think.
