What do you do?

Earlier this week, I was able to meet a new mother to our homeschool group that I really connected with. It’s always nice to meet someone who shares so many values with you, especially in the homeschooling community. We had a really great chat, and my friend K, also in our group, asked her about what she does—then clarified that she meant as a passion, not as a job or work. The mom told us about our interests and it made me think about how lucky I am.

I’m not lucky just to homeschool, of course, though that is super lucky! I’m lucky because I’m living my dream. I live and work my passion as a writer every day. I learn about new things—from html and Flash animation to incredible recipes to DIY home automation to the latest in pop culture (all topics I’ve covered tonight for different clients)—and actually earn a living from my work. It’s pretty much what I wish my educational experience would have been—and it is my educational experience for life. Doing what you love (whether for work or not) in front of your children is such a powerful way to help them learn to follow their own dreams, too, and that's what unschooling is all about. In that, I'm also quite lucky.

In the past year, I’ve even been able to add novels to this dream, which is still surreal to me. Isn’t that what we all dream of? How many of us can say that we are doing what we passionately said we wanted to do at age twelve (and still love the heck out of it)? And yet I find myself apologizing for it. I say, “Sorry, I have to work,” or I send my husband on a field trip and I feel guilty, when I shouldn’t. I even avoid talking about work in general sometimes. I should openly be proud that I can do this, that I support my family with my writing, and that I actually love what I do. Do you ever feel guilty saying that you love your job when people complain about theirs to you?

Sometimes doing what you love for your career is a killer of dreams, though. My husband, a car fanatic, loves to work on cars, and will for friends for free. But he doesn’t want to turn his dream to work because he has worked in customer service his whole life and he knows how much more difficult that would be, twisting his dream into something he would loathe, and that would break his heart. I used to encourage him to get into automotive school—he does have a certificate in the field—but now I understand and respect his wishes.

Aside from the melodious popcorn sound of a keyboard beneath my nails, I also live for my family, creating art, reading, singing karaoke (with very few people in the room!), traveling (though I haven’t done much at all since Wood Sprite was born—something we need to remedy!), playing and horsing around with Wood Sprite and dating Indy. I also have limitless interests that keep me busy (George Carlin said, "Hobbies cost money, interests are free!"), ranging from mythology to DIY, fantasty to science, literature to 80s pop culture and so much more.

So what are your passions? What do you do? What makes you come alive?

Photo courtesy of Sara S. My portable work station!