1.27.04

the other day during strollerobics(R) the instructor (donna lanam -- great lady!) brought up the topic of organization and asked the question, "do we re-stock our diaper bags when we get home from an outing?" i said, yes, i keep my diaper bag fully stocked at all times. i also keep other important areas stocked, too: cabinets with toilet paper, tables with boxes of kleenex, changing table with wipes and diapers. i told the class that my re-stocking duties remind me of my first office job when i worked in the office services department of a large law firm. my duties were to make sure that the coffee was always brewing, that pens were always available, and that there was paper on the shelves by the copiers. donna commented that my previous job had been good training.

her comment stunned me into silence and it wasn't until hours later that i realized why. i had HATED my law firm job. i was at the lowest rung of the law firm ladder -- even the receptionist was practically a paralegal compared to me. it was a demeaning job that required absolutely zero in mental resources. but it paid well, and it taught me a lot about humility and why it's important to have a college degree.

thinking about hating my offices services job got me thinking about my feelings for my current job as a household executive. do i hate it, too? could a trained monkey take my place without anybody noticing? NO! even though i now list as my hobbies housecleaning, changing diapers, and shopping for groceries, i take pride in doing these things and in doing them well. doing my job well means that my husband's happy, my kid is happy, and i've got time left over to do things that are important to my well-being, things like reading, exercising, and writing.

of course, at the law firm, doing my job well meant that the secretaries could do their jobs well, thereby helping the lawyers do their jobs well. and when lawyers do their jobs well, everybody [including usually the clients] makes tons of money. on second thought, i was the most important person in that damn law firm! i was the maker of the coffee! the stocker of the legal pads! without me that place would have fallen to ruin, crumbled to dust! so there, jackson, tufts, cole, & black!

but enough about me. the president of my company, emily, now has two bottom teeth, hair that sticks straight up and looks as though she stuck her finger in a light socket, and a new mini maestro deluxe walker courtesy of grammie martha.

xoxo
mary [mary @ marytsao.com]




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