So, What Do YOU Do?

Is it even possible to meet someone new without being asked that question?

The vast majority of people assume they are being asked about their career or current job. But I never respond that way because my work doesn’t even scratch the surface of defining me as a person or giving anyone an even remote idea of what I do and don’t do.

Do we become our jobs?  Does our job define our character, depth of personality, our level of importance, or worth among the masses?  Do some people have so little else going on in their lives that they totally immerse themselves in work?  How about the level of respect we are given by our fellow humans?  Should that be based on our job title?

Hopefully, the latter is not the case because even the way we view certain occupations may change drastically over the years whether it be doctors, lawyers, athletes, show business people, or politicians.

In St. Louis, the major important question is, what high school did you go to?  Please ignore the fact that the question ends in a preposition.  The question itself is as native to STL as the ice cream cone at our 1904 World’s Fair, our toasted ravioli on ‘The Hill,’ and our innate love affair for the Cardinals.  But I digress.

When people ask me what I do, my normal response does include writing.  However, I may respond over a 10-minute period of time with a veritable laundry list of things I do.  Plus, I feel the compulsion to also list a few ‘do nots.’

Prepare yourself for extremely long paragraph time!

My answer, in no particular order, is that I do 1)travel extensively, 2)argue politics with The Far Left and The Far Right, 3)wild dance, 4)hike, 5)write many normal and abnormal fiction and non-fiction pieces, 6)buy clothes at Goodwill, 7)act playful and joke around with people, 8)hug everybody, 9)play a lousy game of billiards because I have trouble forcing myself to aim, 10)pray, 11)think the natural lands and female form are God’s most beautiful creations, 12)listen to and watch FAR too much sports, 13)love the MUNY, Fox, outdoor concerts, and other live performances, 14)despise any willful act of crime and other areas of verbal and physical abuse of people and animals, 15)procrastinate, 16)back-strengthening exercises, 17)appreciate all I have, 18)spend time with my mom, 19)try to make newcomers feel welcome at social events, 20)love people and use things, 21)volunteer work, 22)have a love affair with national parks, mountains, and beaches, 23)kiss women, 24)despise political ‘sheep’ of  both major parties, 25)keep in constant contact with my Navy son David who lived with me his first 21 years.

Wait!  I just remembered that one of journalism’s rules is to try and vary paragraph lengths, and don’t make any too long.  I’m now taking a brief station break before heading into part two, like an instrumental break in karaoke, which I also enjoy when others are up singing alongside me.  Break…..Break…..Break…O.K.  Continuing right along, I do…

26)almost always try to please others, 27)maintain a near-perfect credit rating by always paying my bills on time and not being much into material things, 28)constantly show people my Utah keychain and tell them why it’s my favorite state, 29)love most types of music starting with Big Bands and show music, 30)despise the smell of cigarette and cigar smoke, 31)love watching history and travel shows, 32)hop too much in swing dancing when I’m supposed to be gliding, 33)observational astronomy, 34)write strange plays with hilarious song parodies, 35)strike up conversations with strangers, 36)tutor a handful of subjects, 37)get extra slap happy and lovable after just one glass of sweet wine, 38)travel photography, 39)despise music that’s excessively loud, 40)compliment people without expecting anything in return, 41)sing aloud and snack while I sit in my lawn chair at water’s edge of Creve Coeur Lake on very hot days, 42)believe we were all created to love and help one another, 43)struggle to maintain focus on just one task at hand, 44)love fairs and festivals, 45)enjoy things cultural and intellectual, 46)belong to Mensa,  47)normally have trouble saying ‘no’ to invitations, 48)love most ethnic foods, 49) despise the taste of all beers, and 50)constantly tell people that I came to Earth from Saturn in the mid-1950s.

(Long sigh)…..O.K.  You all know a great deal about me. Actually, maybe I’ll copy and paste this to an on-line dating site profile. What do you think of that?  It’s your turn.

So, what do YOU do? 

The next time someone asks you that question, make sure the proper amount of time is allotted for your complete response.

But I would be interested in your own response to that question right now.  You certainly don’t need to think of 50 things, but please click on the ‘comments’ tab at the end of this blog post, and answer away…if you dare!  To me, this is way more important in getting to know someone than just finding out about the job they do.  I’m certainly not merely defined by the work I do.  Are you?