While running errands, I stopped by the local supplement store to get vitamins for my husband. The guys who work at these stores mostly look like personal trainers or bodybuilders. The young man checking me out asked what kind of work my husband was in and then asked me “Do you do anything?” I was startled by the question since people usually ask “where do you work” or “is this your day off.” My response was something like “I do some things from home.” I was embarrassed to say that I do not have a job, even though I have been mostly unemployed by choice for over ten years.

I could have said that I spend time with my granddaughter. I might have said I manage our household. Another truthful statement is that I support my friends and family in their endeavors. What I wanted to say is that I create art, walk several miles, and I read a book a day. But none of those things generate an income, which is how we measure our worth. After all this time, I still do not have a good answer when someone asks me “Do you do anything?”

My hope is that by the time I turn sixty in a year I will have an honest answer that I can proudly state when asked that sorting question when I meet a new person.