Oh, I've Knocked Around A Bit...

[poliphilo]

This chap I was getting to know asked me what I did or was (terms that tend to be used interchangeably) and I did my usual cagey thing and said I was a full-time carer and past the age of retirement anyway- but he continued looking at me as if expecting more- so I mentally kicked myself and told myself to play fair and said, "Well, I was a clergyman but I gave it up and I've been a freelance journalist and a lollipop man." I stopped there but I could have gone on because I've done rather a lot of different things in my life.

And why be cagey about them? What am I protecting myself from? I was thinking only the other day that I could now add "landowner" to the list. It's all experience, it's all good. I'm not ashamed of any of it.

Comments

[davesmusictank.livejournal.com]

There is no shame in saying that you are a land owner. We all have inherited the earth in some form or another.

[qatsi.livejournal.com]

As I believe the saying goes, it's not what you've got, but what you do with it ...

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

Unless one has been a rapist, murderer or has cheated people out of their life savings (there may be a few other things as well), there is no need or reason to be ashamed of what one has done or been in life. Having an interesting life is more than a lot of people can claim!

[sorenr.livejournal.com]

It took me a while to "own" the fact that I've been a home-maker / stay-at-home husband and put it on my CV. I'm not sure why, really. Nothing unrespectable about that, surely?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Being a landowner is interesting- also demanding. You can't just own it- you've got to look after it. Well, you could just own it and leave it be but if you did it'd very quickly revert to being scrubby woodland...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Hmmmmm.....

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

There's only so much you can do in the average lifespan but I think you should try to experience as much as possible.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Come to think of it, I've done a bit of stay-at-home-husbanding myself.

[basefinder.livejournal.com]

I don't mind rattling off the different jobs I've done previously.

I do tense up at the question because I dislike my present job of seven years, and I don't like talking about it. So depending on the context of the conversation I'll gloss over the past several years with my answer.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I think what I shy away from is having to explain myself. People ask "So why did you leave the church?" and I don't necessarily want to have that conversation. But what the hell!

I'm sorry about the lousy job. Any chance of packing it in and moving on?

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Well, I used to be...........

Only I didn't, so I get the issue! :o)

[basefinder.livejournal.com]

I'm working on that. My occasional whinge about schoolwork is me getting the masters in history that I hope will land me back in the field of historic building documentation.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Historic Building Documentation sounds like a really good gig. I believe I'd enjoy doing that.