Career guidance from inside the Chute

Mom was intently digging into the last of a baked potato when I arrived today, carrying one of the sweaters she had knitted many years ago. I found it during my weekend's closet-cleaning project, and ran it through a dry-cleaning cycle in my dryer. The yarn was heavy and very soft, and as the days get cooler I thought she might enjoy it.

She stopped eating when she saw me, which fortunately was at the end of her lunch (I try to time it for after a meal, not before, or she'd never eat a bite). And she reached for the sweater, just to handle the fabric of it. She's a real knitter - give her some yarn and she's deeply engrossed in its texture and heft. I just let her enjoy it until she returned her attention to the fact that I was there too.

Later, when it was time for me to return to work, I told her I was going back to my office for a phone call from someone who wanted me to do a job for them. I said I didn't know if it would be a good job for me or not, but I would have to decide today.

I looked at her and said, "Should I do it?"

She was quiet for a moment, and I wasn't sure she had heard or understood, but then she said, "Yes."

I said, "Okay, I'll do it." Then, just for a tease, I added, "Because I always do what my mother tells me to do."

That got a laugh and a head-shaking from her. She remembers perfectly well who the "bad daughter" was in our family, and it's good she can laugh about it now!

Gotta go - have to tell my new client that we'll be working together. Because my mother said so.