Hooray! I Don't Have a Real Job

Some bloggers (and a few million homemakers) were angered by Theresa Heinz Kerry's remarks about Laura Bush never having had a Real Job.

But I wasn't upset when she insinuated that homemaking isn't a Real Job. Nope, not at all.

People with Real Jobs probably burst Dagwood Bumstead-style out of their doors in the morning. Many drive through insanity-prone traffic to arrive at a place where they will work for 8 + hours. They must report to a boss (unless they are the boss) and do as he/she dictates. And depending upon what kind of Real Job they have, they probably deal with dissatisfied people or handle tons of paperwork or clean up after adults (or children) or drive adults (or children) around. They might stand (or sit) all day and stay focused on work-related subjects. Perhaps they punch a clock and are responsible to a company for what they do and say during those long hours.

Then after their real job? They probably run errands then arrive home and wonder what to make for dinner (or pick up something at frenzied supermarkets along the way). If they have children, they probably try to squeeze nurturing and homework help into three hours plus a hundred other tiny domestic details too numerous to write about here. Maybe they compare notes with their spouse before they fall into bed, exhausted.

Notice I said probably. People are different, jobs are different, but many things about Real Jobs are similar.

So why wasn't I upset about Ms. Kerry's insinuation that we homemakers don't have Real Jobs? It's because I agree that I don't have a Real Job.

No, I have a Dream Job.

With a Dream Job, I can have Fairy Days. I can begin with a leisurely coffee break then write in my journal, do a little laundry. Write in this blog, fill the bird feeders outside, maybe run a couple errands during peaceful, non-peak hours and come home for a sandwich and a book. 

I can do a little ironing while watching TV or check my email, wash a few dishes, then take a long walk beneath autumn skies and pray. I can write an article for publication, dust the furniture and listen to favorite music. Maybe phone a saddened friend, make dinner, early, and read my mail on the front porch. I can mow the lawn then drink lemonade in the backyard, relax in the evening, chat with Tom and watch fireflies because all my housework and lifework is completed for the day.

People with Dream Jobs don't mind when those with Real Jobs berate them. No, they just smile and step through their lives hugging their delicious secret; their mix-it-up-when-you-wish lifestyle.


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Real success is finding your lifework in the work that you love.
David McCullough (1933 - )


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