I’m trying the “10-minute Writers” exercise on Crazedparent this week. It was more of a challenge than I anticipated, but it was fun. I’ll probably do it again the next time the topic grabs me.

The question:”How big of a person are you?”
The assignment: For 10-minutes, write about everything you do for everyone else. Be big, be bold, and be as blunt as your writing mind wants you to be.

The rules, the rules…
* Write for 10 minutes and only 10 minutes. Use a timer. Don’t stop writing/typing. Keep your fingers typing or your hands moving for 10 minutes. I repeat, don’t stop writing.
* Don’t edit as you go. Write whatever you are thinking.
* When you are done, leave a comment here with a link back to your 10-minute writing exercise.

How big a person am I? Have you seen me lately? I’m less than 5 feet tall – not very big at all!

And now that I’m done with the puns, time to answer the question. I start the workday by making coffee for the office. I don’t drink the coffee – I drink mine at home – but I buy it and make it for my coworkers. I also keep them supplied with candy that I don’t eat. Hopefully they’ll miss me if I ever leave.

I do things for my dog. I make sure she’s walked, fed, and has plenty of comfortable places to sleep – the house basically operates for her.

I do the grocery shopping – that’s for me too, but I do it for the whole household. I make sure to ask if anyone wants anything added to the shopping list, and look for sales on their favorites so I can surprise them.

I help my dad by taking him grocery shopping every 2 weeks, picking up things for him at target, and doing small house tasks for him. This also helps my sister so she doesn’t have to do quite as much for him.

I’m the main housecleaner. I keep the kitchen and the bathrooms in good shape.

I indulge my husband a lot.

Since I don’t work for myself – but really, who does? If you’re “self-employed,” you work for your clients – everything I do at the office is for someone else.

Since I live with a family, most of what I do at home affects someone else and not just me. Cooking, cleaning, organizing, errands, shopping – we all get something out of it.

This assignment is harder than it sounds. I’m having trouble itemizing more than I already have, but I know that a lot of what I do is for someone else’s assistance or benefit, even though much of the time it benefits me too.

I help my husband keep tabs on his health and take care of himself so he’ll be around for awhile, and I help him be a great dad to his kids, even though he’s chief caretaker during the 40% of the time they’re with us. I try to keep things on an even keel at home, even though it’s hard right now since work’s gotten crazier than usual lately.

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