I know it's not a new topic, but I've been getting this question a lot, and I am about to go insane. "Do you work?" the physician's assistant asked me this morning. "About 18 hours a day," is what I wish I had said. Or maybe, "What do you mean?" But how did I respond? "No," I said, because I knew what she was really asking was, "Do you work for a paycheck?"
But I now I wonder why folks ask that question in the first place. Is it intended as a conversation-starter? Is it a way to find a common interest? I'm not sure. But what I hear is, "Are you doing anything worthwhile (=worth being paid) with your time?" and "Does your employment status allow me to peg your social position in our society?" and "Will your job impress me?"
Is there an appropriate (and by that, I mean a non-angry-let-me-tell-you-you-have-no-idea-or-no-appreciation-or-no-awareness) response? Perhaps, the next time I'll say, "I have the hardest job in the world," (you know, that's what Oprah says, and how would she know??) Or maybe I'll say, "I have the most important job in the world, one that requires all of my energy, creativity, intelligence and stamina." I'm still not sure. But I guess I have the next eighteen hours or so to figure it out.
