I am a working mom. Does that define who I am? I am a school counselor. Does that define my character? I get to be a stay at home mom in the summers, on Winter Break, on Spring Break. Does this define my commitment to my family? I am a wife. Does this define my heart? I am a runner. Does this define my body type? I am a book lover. Does this define my mind?
It is so easy to place labels on the many parts of me. The labels describe. The labels organize. But do they really define who I am as a person? The labels are merely a scratch upon the surface of who I am, what I do, how I love, and what I stand for.
A few weeks back Megin wrote a post on her job description as a stay at home mom. What she made me realize in her post was that my home life defines me way more that my work life every will. Work, although frustrating, is in many ways easier than my role as a homemaker. And it is my role at home that challenges me and drives me to be a better person. It is not the dinners that I prepare, or the clothes that are washed. It is not the floors that are scrubbed, or the beds that are made. It is my role as a human, who has been blessed with the job of helping other humans to be the best they can be, that drives me, that challenges me, that keeps me awake at night.
This is not to say that I define myself solely by motherhood. I would not want only one part of my life to be the overriding theme of who I am as a person. But, as so many mothers before me have mourned, these years will one day be memories. And so, for the two decades or so that I have my children as my own, this is the single most important job that I do.
So, what defines me? To define myself would be a long and grueling walk through my life and my sometimes convoluted thoughts. Instead, what I chose to be defined by is, the simple idea, that the love of my family, that I hold in my heart, will spill out in a way that makes our home, and the world around us a better place. I choose to be defined by love.
[tags]self, assessment, evaluation, perspective, concept, idea, thinking, thought, perception[/tags]
Photo graciously provided by rpeg, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved
4 responses so far ↓
Emily // Feb 27, 2008 at 8:16 am
That is the perfect choice, I think.
RC // Feb 27, 2008 at 9:05 am
I always have a hard time with set definitions. Am I just a mom? A working mom? A professional? A wife? A daughter?
Can’t I be all of these things by just being “me?” The me I am loves her family, enjoys her career, and strives to make a difference in the world around her.
I’m not one thing either, and I like how you spelled that out. Nice post!
Megin Hatch // Feb 27, 2008 at 9:15 am
Well said. A very thoughtful post.
Blooming Desertpea // Feb 28, 2008 at 3:03 pm
We are not what we do - we are what is in our hearts.
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