Doing it All

The other day Jooj told me that I was "physically weak."  I asked her why she would say that, and she responded "Because you never exercise."  I responded that, in fact, I exercise all the time, but mostly when she is out running feral with the neighborhood kids.

A few days later she told a friend that her mommy didn't go to college.  I responded that, in fact, I had gone to two colleges, and had two degrees.


When did I become this invisible person doing nothing and making no difference?

I thought that, maybe, I just needed to be more visible--I made a point of exercising in front of her, and I purposefully read my alumni magazine in full view.  And then, today, after I spent all day cleaning bathrooms, doing laundry, and sweeping up dust she brought in some friends and her first words, after walking through a pile I was in mid-sweep with, were "I know, it's messy, we need to work to clean it up." 

I quit.