My Cinderella Complex

Always i have disliked cleaning the bathroom.  But i also like a clean bathroom, so i do it.  For years i never realized there are people who like to clean a bathroom.  Once on a retreat i ended up taking the bathroom cleaning job.  What a look into my own mind!  How angry at having this job, yet believing it was only fair that i took a turn.  How sorry i felt for myself on my hands and knees washing the floor, confused as usual about what product and which rag thing to use on which part of the room.  Only then, when i began mentioning it to people, did i find out some people LIKE this job. So now on retreat i always sign up to chop vegetables, which, because i like it, gives me no insight, but i have no guilt about not taking my turn at the worst job.
At home my method for cleaning is: notice it is needed, and plan it for the next day. Spend the next day thinking i need to now go and clean the bathroom. Late in the day, realize i have not done it and now it is dark and not much day left, grab the cleaning supplies, and do it.  It ends up only taking about 1/2 hour but has used up parts of two days!

painting the church

across the street a van pulls up and unloads men and ladders. 

they've been working all week on the big new england white church, scraping, sanding, and now painting.  it's going to look great! 

they are a quiet group, well behaved, fairly lean, did you guess? 

i didn't at first. but i'm pretty sure they are from the prison.  

a good deal for the church, non-profits can hire them for a low wage, and a good deal for them.  

make some money, get out of jail for a week, do some good for somebody in the summer sunshine and green hills.

it used to creep me out a little to see these guys out working somewhere or playing volleyball in the prison yard,

until someone pointed out to me that they are pretty much mostly our friends and neighbors.

what are you going to do?

today is my last day at this job!
people are asking me "what are you going to do?"
i never realized what a complicated question that is.
do for the rest of my life?
for the next 5 years?
the next year? next week?
tomorrow?
stay tuned!

jobs i have had - what next?

(other than summer jobs)
occupational therapist in Boston
recreation director in New Hampshire
head start in New Hampshire
medical record transcription in Florida
department store clerk in Vermont
head start in Vermont
upward bound in Vermont
piano teacher Vermont
head librarian Vermont
office manager Vermont

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