For those of us who have a number of jobs, it’s tricky answering the simple question, “What do you do?” People like clarity and telling someone “what you do” helps them understand who you are and how you fit within the community. If you hesitate answering, you see them smile and take a step away. People who can’t say what they do are suspicious!
But what if you’re retired? Then you end up explaining “what you used to do.”
What if you don’t have a job? How do you define yourself then?
And what if you do volunteer work. Is that “what you do?”
And how about when the job you have doesn’t define you in any way? “Well, this is what I do but I don’t really like it.” Continue reading

Life is full of chance encounters that aren’t as random as they seem. The person you sit next to on a plane that gives you an idea for a new project. A conversation you have that months later leads you down a new path. The choice you made buying a house or choosing a school that led to all sorts of new relationships. A book you pulled from a shelf that gave you new insight on how the world works.