NaBloPoMo: Two

Prompt 2: What are you currently feeling pressure to do that you don't particularly enjoy?

Honestly, I can't think of something that I'm currently responsible for that doesn't bring me enjoyment. However, I have learned to stop apologizing for the things I don't particularly enjoy that I thought I should. 



I make a mean plate of scrambled eggs.

Cooking. I am the most basic cook in the kitchen. My repertoire includes scrambled eggs and grilled cheese. I don't enjoy being in the kitchen. I don't know how to cook very much. I don't care to learn much more than I do. I do like to make casseroles and I get the itch to bake every now and then, but I am a much happier person if I'm not in the kitchen. Fortunately, I am blessed to be the wife of a man who really loves to be in the kitchen and has a talent for cooking. 


General homemaking. I don't cook. I don't sew. I don't decorate a lot. I like to keep our little apartment basic, somewhat minimal, and tidy. The less we own, the less we have to keep up with/clean/fix/etc. I genuinely don't feel like I was gifted with the art of homemaking... and I do consider it an art because I'm in awe of how some women run/decorate their homes. But it's just not me. Again, my husband picks up my slack in this area, which is how I believe we work so well together.

Staying home. I think I felt the pressure of this one a lot because of the area we currently live in. Many women are stay-at-home wives and mothers, and that's totally acceptable if it works for their families. However, it's no bueno with me right now. I'm not going to say that I will never stay home because I would like to be able to have a career from home while raising our daughter. But, I love my career and want to continue to work outside the home to further that career. My husband and I have discussed that if the opportunity were to present itself, he would be a stay-at-home dad while I brought home the bacon. It's just how we work.

Losing weight. This is pre-pregnancy, and I will be working post-pregnancy to take off added pounds, but I gave up worrying so much about what others thought of my weight and concentrated more on how I felt, both physically and emotionally. I don't particularly enjoy working out. I don't particularly enjoy counting calories (which works for me). But I don't pressure myself anymore to do these things. I also stopped thinking about doing this to improve my looks and instead think about how I can improve my overall health.

Owning a home. From 8 years old on, my family lived in an apartment. When I moved off to college, I lived in a dorm for one year, then moved into an apartment. Since my husband and I have been together (yep, we lived together before we got married), we lived in an apartment. I used to be so jealous of others who lived in homes and I thought for the longest time that we needed to buy a house. But then when you really get into the real world and got knocked down on your butt (thanks, recession), you realize that home ownership may not be your dream... and we quickly realized that. I thought we were weird because neither of us had a burning desire to own a home. And now? We still don't. We love the ease, affordability, and less stress of renting an apartment. I'm not saying we'll never own a home, but it's not on our long-term radar right now.

I'm sure I'm missing things, but as a woman, I felt pressure too long in these areas to realize that if it's not me, it's just not me.