Do you enjoy your job?
In Indian mythology, the Trimurti consists of Lord Shiva often referred to as the destroyer, Lord Brahma as the Creator and Lord Vishnu as the Protector. The Trimurtis often granted boons to their subjects and devotees and as per mythology, these boons often caused problems for devas. One such boon was the boon granted to Mahishasura by Lord Brahma- ‘the boon that would prevent any male – God, human or demon from killing him’. Convinced he was immortal, because he arrogantly believed that no woman would fight him, he went on to wage wars with humans and then targeted the Gods. This is when, the Trimurtis , at a loss, divined the Godess Durga, from a combination of their powers. Durga was created with 10 arms, each handling one of the many weapons of the Trimurtis and by herself was stronger than any one of the Trimurtis.
In the early days, (read: my mom’s generation) families were large, easily consisting of 10/12 children at any point in time. And just because of this, they each went into a variety of professions. So the village that helped raise my mum would consist of her aunts and uncles of which there would’ve been many. And with them would also be her own siblings some a lot older than her. However, with population explosion taking the centre stage and the government getting in with the ‘Hum do Humare do’ ( roughly translated to: ‘we two ours two’) the size of families reduced, to just parents and two kids or four as it was in my case.
This in turn reduced accessibility to the number of professionals within the village, and the stay-at-home parent started donning all these hats along with that of being the sole person responsible for the well-being of the child very closely resembling the goddess Durga and her many hands, possessing the will and therefore the capabilities required to take care of their own families.
And this is where my job comes in.
I’m the wife. The girlfriend. The support. The backup. And the substitute.
I’m the mother. The caregiver. The bad cop- that reprimands. The teacher. The artist. The physical trainer. And the Physio Therapist. The nurse. The compounder. And the doctor. The counsellor. The advisor. And the anger management coach. The cook. The grunt. The chef that creates wholesome dishes that remind you of home. The baker. The DIY goddess that can miraculously produce stationary in the middle of the night. The magician, who has the power to heal with just a kiss, or cure an ailment with just a hug. The one person who has solutions and answers to weird questions in the middle of the night. The alarm clock, that ensures you’re always on time. The snooze button that gives you the courage to dream just a tiny bit more. The interior decorator who can change the layout of your hostel room and remind you of home. The travel agent who ensures you have everything you may require on your trip. The crazy lady that lands in your class at the last minute to be a mentor and guide. The technical person, who ensures you have access to stuff or the hacker who removes your access to stuff. The financier who funds your most outrageous requests. The personal designer, who ensures you feel the vibe of the day (or may be, be the vibe of the day). I used to be the driver, but that’s taken a back seat.
Now, to answer that question, do you love your job? Hell! Yeah!! I wouldn’t trade my position for anything this world has to offer. I am the Durga of today, I have just two hands, but I juggle a lot of hats and positions. And I enjoy every single moment of being a mother and the wife!
Just a little more 