What do you do?

The question on my mind today: "What do you do?"

It's a polite way of asking, "So, how might I know how to stratify you in the socio-economic hierarchy?" And it's more polite than asking direct questions, such as:

• How much money do you earn?
• What kind of house do you live in?
• What type of car do you drive?
• How should we relate?
• How do you compare to me?
• How do I compare to you?

My friend Gabe tells me that in England, the question isn't what you do, but "Where are you from?" Evidently, in England, where you come from is of greater importance than what you do. Although the questions differ, their purpose is the same.

About the question, author Robert Fulghum writes, "Making a living and having a life are not the same thing....A job title doesn't even come close to answering the question, 'What do you do?'"

A friend passed me a quote from author Annie Dillard: "How we spend our days is, of course, how we live our lives."

I find myself less interested in talking about how I spend my time making a living, and more interested in talking about how I spend my days living a life.