What I do

I am constantly being asked what it is that I "do". I struggle for an answer and usually revert to some old label I'm still comfortable with, something I don't really believe in. I guess it would be easy if I had a job. I could tell people that what I "do" is sit at a reception desk for eight hours at a time so somebody's hotel business can run relatively smoothly. I could tell people that every Friday and Saturday night I go to a building with a high density of drinkers and I pick up and wash the glasses and bottles that accrue at an alarming rate. For these thankless tasks that do not enrich my life I am compensated with $12 an hour. But sadly I don't perform these tasks anymore and am again confused about how I should answer this question about what I "do". It is my policy to engage with people who engage with me and attempt to answer honest questions honestly, but usually I answer this question with "I'm a writer". Yes, I write, but honestly I prefer to perform my writing or share my writing or talk to people. I believe it is an extension of my writing when I talk to people. Some conversations can be merely polite or perfunctory, but some conversations are what I "do". I drink a lot of water. Some people claim they don't like the taste of water, but to me water is very important. Drinking water results in me constantly needing to sweat and urinate. Particularly when I feel sick I simply stop eating and start drinking a lot more. Often I just piss out all the toxins in my body. Similarly I am constantly receiving so much information and experience from other people, from my environment and my thoughts that I constantly need to expel some words from my system. When I get too full of words I sit down and let some out. Sometimes these are worth sharing. I do a lot of things, but this is one of the things I do that seems to be of most value to others. I don't often get paid for it, but then again I am provided everything I need for a rich and diverse life. I may be unemployed but I most definitely do not live in poverty. The world is a rich and abundant place and as much as I love it I am not a container. It must come out. Sometimes it's through writing, sometimes conversation. Sometimes I'm so frustrated with some problematic object I have to swear. Sometimes I feel a familiar feeling in my belly and I know it's time to take a shit.