What Do You Do?

When people ask the question, “So, what do you do,” what do they mean by that? I stumble at times to come up with the right answer. I have to think about it like a list of bulleted points that define my time and life, try to prioritize them, and then come up with an answer that usually refers to a title of some kind. “Oh, I’m a program coordinator.” That’s the answer.

I coordinate play dates for my daughter; forums and professional advancement activities for cancer researchers; spiritual education classes for children; conferences for young adults; artistic programs for my religious community; dinner menus, family celebrations, and weekend getaways.

I have been a professional coordinator, spending time assisting the development and implementation of programs for minorities, women, high school and undergraduate students interested in or who are pursuing careers in cancer research. This is my nine to five.

My daughter's character development is one of the most important things to me. For her to be tolerant, generous, humble, confident, happy, and responsible are among the best attributes anyone can possess. I don’t want this for my child only. I think these are things all human beings should learn. But I can’t teach this to everyone, so I have coordinated and taught Sunday morning classes about spiritual and character education to elementary school children at my home.

Aren’t we all coordinating and developing goals and objectives to create a program for our lives? I can't seem to get out of the realm of coordinating. However, no matter what I do, or who I become, my mission in life will be to use this knack for coordinating to help other people.

I feel fortunate that I have been able to do so through my profession working in nonprofit administration. I am happy knowing that I’ve helped homeless men and women, recovering drug addicts and alcoholics, minorities, women and students pursuing careers in cancer research, and autistic children by coordinating programs and activities that have provided material, professional, and spiritual development.

There are so many ways to serve humanity. We do it by nurturing and caring for our families and relationships with friends; we do it by volunteering in our religious communities or at the local food bank. As I wander this road looking for what to do next, I hope to remember I hope not to get stuck by defining myself as a coordinator, but that I will continue to seek ways to serve humanity utilizing other talents and gifts.