Second Jobs

I left home today with a mission--several missions, actually. Since the name "Mom" carries with it the jobs of "chef," "secretary," and "personal shopper," I was to come home with not only a day checked off on my work time sheet, but also with fall clothes, new snacks, and appointments and phone calls made. And since most of us moms moonlight as "chauffeurs," our work is not really done until the last child is home.
 
It can be exhausting to have so many "jobs." Hey, it can be exhausting to have one job (do I really know anyone anymore who just has one job?). It can also be, at least in the case of these multiple jobs, incredibly satisfying. You see, if you do only one job, and you have a rough day of it, all you have to show at the end of the day is tired eyes and a feeling of failure. If your day has been filled with multiple jobs, you almost certainly end your day having accomplished something. You may not have been a hero at work today, but you are a hero at home when you arrive with new lunchbox treats. You may not have saved your company money today, but you have earned your family money by following up on health insurance claims.
 
These days, whether we literally go to multiple workplaces or simply accomplish many things for many bosses all day, most of us are handling second and third jobs. It may not be what we had in mind, but it's what we do. So if in my case right now, the second jobs fall into the category of "Mom," that's okay. On the résumé in my head, it's just a few more lines. And who knows? Someday those may be just the lines that matter.