In Search of My Thing

Over the past few months I have been able to take a step back from work and focus on my house and my family. The more I do that, the more I realize that everyone under this roof has a thing, except me. A thing is something you do, it’s yours, you love it, it makes you happy and it’s like a passion.

The Boy has many things: hockey, guitar, school sports and an increasingly abundant social life. The Princess has dance, pets, pals and all those other girly things that go with being a tween. My husband has work, sports and hobbies that he can always seem to find time to do, no matter what chaos is going on around him.

Most times at the end of the day I flop into bed, realizing that after driving, cleaning, cooking, organizing and nagging I have had no time for my own thing. Before marriage and children (no, this isn’t going to be one of those ‘I hate my life’ stories, so read on) I had lots of things but one by one those things have been replaced with everyone else’s.

Kids seem to have a way of making their things into yours. Like hermit crabs, for example. Not my idea, not what I would have spent money on, really not my thing. As the crab novelty wears off with the children I am afraid they will slowly, like the others before them, including the chinchillas and goldfish, become my thing – my thing to water, feed, nurture and eventually give away without anyone noticing for months. I vow to find my own thing before that happens.

I know that I am not alone in this. There are many people, mostly moms, who have given up their interests, hobbies and even passions because there just isn’t enough time in the day to fit them in.

Finding your own thing can be difficult and takes effort but it is not impossible. There are books, websites and even seminars that can help you along the way. There is no doubt there is some thing for everyone. We just need to find it. life