Super woman or super silly?

Whilst juggling a number of tasks on my 'To Do' list today, I started to contemplate the role I have created for myself in this life and how dramatically it's changed over the past 8 or so months.

I used to define myself by what I did for a living.  For too many years to count, when asked the age old question "So tell me about yourself" the first thing out of my mouth was about my occupation.  It was a point of reference from which I was able to validate my value to society.  It was a label that I was able to pin on myself and say loud and proud 'This is me!" When I birthed my son, did I lose a little bit of myself, or gain more facets to my life and identity? Now, if asked that same question, I would have to hesitate and have a really good think about who I am...

So who, or what, exactly am I?

I'm a mum.  I never thought that I would say that, but I am a mum.  I'm proud of my little guy and the amazing discoveries that he makes every day.  I carried another being inside me, nurtured him and birthed him.  I didn't do anything so amazing that it hadn't been done before, but what I have done is pretty special in my eyes.  I can now join in on conversations at work about our children rather than trying to bury myself in something other than the conversation going on around me.  In fact, I dread to consider that I may be turning into one of those mums who talks about their children constantly.  Why did I feel the need to announce at work last week that my son had cut his first two teeth??  What is it with me adding the newest photo of him to my already over crowded screen saver?  It was not so long ago that I was the only childless (and happily so) person in my office.  Now, I feel for the person who replaced me whilst I was on maternity leave as she is the childless one having to endure my endless nattering about how wonderful my son is.  So in a way, I'm a mum, but I'm also a bit of a hypocrite who has forgotten the promises she made whilst pregnant about the kind of mum she wouldn't be...

I'm a career person.  I worked my way through and up the education system and was proud of my accomplishments.  I met and worked with some amazing people.  I got to work early and left late.  I ate my lunch at my desk. I hate to admit it, but I also resented women who worked part time as it made my life as a full time employee more difficult.  Meetings had to be scheduled (or rescheduled) around the days that they were at work. Ideas could not be discussed when I had them as not everyone was around to contribute.  My working life was dictated, to a greater or lesser extent, by the part timers.  And yet I find myself now in the ranks of the part time employee.  I still enjoy my work but I can't imagine returning to work 5 days per week.  My role in the workplace is clearly not how I now define myself and my use to society.

And as if that wasn't enough, I'm working to establish myself as a small business owner.  This is where the 'super silly' of the title of this post comes in.  When I find myself, on the rare occasion, with a couple of spare minutes during the day, no longer do I reach for a good book and set myself up on the couch with a hot (yes, hot) cup of tea and a mint slice, I rush off to the sewing room to try to quickly finish cutting out the fabric that I started during my son's last nap.  I don't, as a matter of course, have a glass of wine after dinner whilst watching my favourite show in the TV. Instead, I find myself in the study lamenting over the state of my financial records for the business.  Or I slavishly check my blog and business Face Book page to see whether anyone has read my musings and commented (or given encouragement).

So why is it that when my life used to be so fulfilling with only one label to wear, that I now find myself with 3?

Super woman or super silly?  I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder...