Those Who Can, Do; Those Who Can't...

No, I am NOT going to say "Teach" because that's just wrong! Especially now that I'm a (substitute) teacher. Teaching is just as hard as doing, and sometimes harder! But that old saying has left me wondering lately. Not because I agree with it, but because a lot of times, it's true. Musicians who are now music teachers, artists who teach elementary school, and writers (like myself) who are substitute teachers-what, exactly, are we all doing?

In my case, the reason is two-fold. First, I wanted to be home with my children when they were born, and I used the a good portion of that time earning my Bachelor's Degree, which was a long-time goal. Second, writing just doesn't bring home a steady paycheck unless you get into a full-time, often stressful, position. In the old days, getting a check for $25 and a pair of concert tickets was enough, but now, it would cost me more to pay the babysitter so I could attend the concert than anything I might get paid. And frankly, those jobs are few and far between too.

I've been told I have a fair amount of talent, and I writing is what I do and who I am at a most basic level, but at this stage in my life, I simply don't know how to to be a "do-er" in my field. So I write for my own pleasure, now I have my blog, and occasionally I do freelance work that brings in craft supplies or some other form of minimal payment. In the interim, I am a substitute teacher. Sometimes, it feels really, really good. I can work when I want, be home when I need to be, and still bring in extra cash.


Other days, it sucks, plain and simple. Not because it's a bad job, but because it's not the right job for ME. I want to write--I NEED to write--and I do write, but if no one (hardly) ever sees it, where does that leave me? I don't necessarily write for a particular reason--like money or praise or controversy--but it seems unfinished somehow to leave my works on a disc or in a box somewhere. What good is my creativity, my gift if I deign to call it that, if no one sees or reads or appreciates it?

So I guess I started to wonder... do you DO what you love or do you just do what you can? Am I selfish to believe that I should be able to do what I was born to do, or do I suck it up and just be happy that I have a husband who can support us and that I can at least dabble in my passion? Because those that can don't always do it, and those that can't sometimes do it anyway. The rest of us fall somewhere in the middle. Right? Wrong? Weigh in...