Question of the Month (7th September 2015) What's the best job you've ever had?

 

Anna Nordeman

 

 

 

 

What's the best job you've ever had? 

Question of the Month (7th September 2015)

Here is my answer to your question, Michael:

I wrote a long story about one of my first jobs, which made me stop and think about my career. Unfortunately, I have never had a job that I have even liked.  I cannot answer the question 'What's the best job you've ever had?' because I have never ever been happy being someone's employee. 

I had my own small firm for many years and worked as a free-lance illustrator for many different advertising agencies and some book publishers. But I don't feel very successful. The compitition was fierce and I regret even trying to make it in that branch. I wasted precious time that I could have used to do other things that have a more lasting value.

I am trying not to dwell too much on my past mistakes, because feeling like a failure drains the energy and psychic stamina that I need do what I am trying to do now, which is to just keep going.

I am trying to avoid setting up impossible goals that will only make me feel depressed when I fail, and instead, give myself small goals or 'baby-steps' to accomplish. So that I can feel good and pat myself on the back and still have enough energy to continue working.

Instead of writing about the best job I've ever had, meaning a glamourous and well-paying job, I'd like to say something about the very best 'job', meaning the very best 'role' in life that I have ever had or ever will have: being the mother of my children, Erik and Elisabet. Nothing at the employment office will ever top that.

Here is a photo from a visit with our dear friend, artist and designer, Forse Gnista, on 20th June 2015.

Pictured from left to right are: my son, Erik, Forse Gnista, Elisabet's friend Moa who lives next door at the farm, and my daughter, Elisabet. 

On the wall behind these four clowning friends hang the paintings of Forse's father, Erik Gnista. Just above Forse slightly to the left is Forse himself at age four or five, painted by his father when Forse was asleep. 

We had fun that day.

Erik, Forse, Moa and Elisabet

Best wishes,

Anna 

 

 

 

 

First Commenter:
Mary Aalgaard 
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IWSG - Insecure Writer's Support Group for Wednesday, 2nd September 2015

Anna Nordeman

IWSG - Insecure Writer's Support Group for Wednesday, 2nd September 2015

This is my twenty-seventh post for IWSG, written on 30th August 2015:

 

I have already started my course-work at the university of Linköping, which means that I have spent the past week taking the free campus shuttle-bus to neighbouring town, Linköping. 

As I have mentioned before I am taking English 2 this term. I like my teachers. They are excellent. So far, I have met three of them, a very thorough and serious Englishman, named Nigel, who is an old aquaintance from earlier courses in English; and a new face, a very, very, very funny, strawberry-blond, bearded Brit, named Emile, for English Grammar and Language Studies. I first met Emile in the spring for my incompletes. (He could have been a stand-up comedian. He keeps us in stitches.) And then there's a very pretty Swedish woman, named Anna (who speaks better English than I do) for English Literature and History. For Anna, we are reading Shakespeare's tragedy, MacBeth. I may write my term-paper for her. If I choose a literary topic. Or for Nigel, if I choose a linguistic subject.

I am enjoying the lectures and seminars, but there is so much reading to do, so much work to keep up with.

And I am still working on my term paper for History 2. [Sigh].

And working part time as a telephone-interviewer. I will be working with that, this evening.

And I am also working slowly on restocking my jewellery-shops. My creative writing is on the back-burner this term. I need this teaching degree. I need a job. TIme is running out for me. Money too.

But I still want to keep in touch with Alex and all of you lovely people at IWSG. I still have hopes to finish a translation and send it off to a publisher here in Sweden. I still have hopes of writing something of my own, but it will take time.

Best wishes,

Anna

First Commenter:
Julie Flanders
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