A woman deep inside you... is calling !!!

Weekdays....get up early in the morning, wake kids up, then cook a breakfast and followed by a meal. Now, get kids ready, get yourself ready and it is then followed by office work. After doing some office work have lunch and general chitchat with husband. After that do pending house chores and go back to office work. Then have some tea or snacks, finish up a day at office by evening hours. The work waiting for you in the pipeline continues...cook something for a dinner, do bit of house cleaning, feed kids, have dinner, put kids to bed, try to complete remaining office work.  If possible catch up friends on social networking platforms or talk to parents and then go to bed. Few minutes right before falling asleep, I felt uncertain, sensed a kind of emptiness. I ignored that feeling and without even noticing that my mind by itself started planning for the next day. Before I am done with the planning, I was asleep. This routine continues for years and years. Knowingly or unknowingly small wishes were being piled up waiting for the weekends and holidays. But weekends are busy in buying groceries, taking out some time for kids,  financial matters and some pending housework. Those small wishes remains deep down in mind...waiting for the holiday time. On holidays, most of the time is eaten up by commute and when we reach the destination, we just want to relax. Those unfulfilled wishes continues to be in the back of your mind, waiting for the next holiday time. The routine resumes and at times we by ourselves don't remember our wishes. Work life balance is like daily riding a roller coaster for working women. 

 

A working woman is doing the office for about 8-9 hours explicitly. On an average 10 hours per day are occupied related to office work. She could have opted to hire maids to get help in house chores but everything cannot be handed over to helpers or care givers. She is required to watch how maids are working. She has to plan according to the need of every individual in house. She needs to check continuously if execution is following her planning. She cannot blindly rely on maids. After office hours, she has very little time left and there is so much to accomplish. Leaving behind her own interest areas, she keeps trying to maintain work life balance. A working women earning well has an aura which reflects in the form of her confidence. Profession of a working woman gives her, her own identity. She gets financial independence. She feel appreciated. Thus, to keep up with it,  she is pretending to be a super powerful lady, and keeps managing house and office both. 

Every women has few classic feminine hobbies or interests, irrespective of if she is a working woman or a homemaker. She could have interest in knitting or doing embroidery work. She could be good with drawing mehandi designs on palm or loves painting or a fan of a cooking or she could be fond of inviting guests or an enthusiast of festival celebrations. Most of these areas are categorized into home maker lady's activities. Sometimes, a women enjoying doing above things are misinterpreted as performing less important job, assuming they do it to utilize their plenty of free time. All such interests actually requires huge amount of time, hard work and proper planning. Homemaker women are also well qualified and are capable of earning substantially good. Homemaker lady offer attention to each family need is not because she has a time. The fact is she is dedicating her entire lifespan for well-being of each one in the family. Moreover, there are many women who love such so called 'less important' jobs, though they are working professionals too.The thought process of tagging certain interest area to 'homemaker only' is unfair. The working women concept mistakenly divides working women from being a woman. A working lady having hobbies or interests like a homemaker women are sometimes not accepted. Due to which, few working women loose interest in their own long-term nurtured hobbies and to cope-up with corporate culture, showcases false picture of interests. They mould themselves in the new lifestyle which is full of duties and less of their engrossment. If a lady is supposed to take care of her family irrespective of she is a working woman or a home maker, then an interest of working women in classic recreation activities should also be cherished and appreciated. 

Many women who showcase themselves differently than their actual personality, can be seen around. A festival enthusiast young techie woman - who  loved to make traditional delicacies on each occasion throughout the year. She was taking extra efforts outside her working hours for required preparations. Someone randomly passed a remark while eating those traditional delicacies that - these things are easily available in the market. Also, mentioned  that the cost of those items is also not so high and mentioned no working woman does this at home, now a days. This incident made her think that if all her efforts put in cooking were unnecessary, are they? Such incidents happened to her over and over repeatedly. She got hurt deeply but apparently she accepted that buying traditional delicacies from matket is the better option. She tries to adjust with taste of outside food items, but her festival celebration have become an yearly routine, without the fun factor. 

A woman who was foodie, loved to cook and to feed her family with yummies, had to hire a maid for cooking due to her long working hours. Her family got adjusted to the cooking style of a cook. Occasionally, she used to stretch herself hard to prepare meals by herself for her loved one's, but her family members feels that is unnecessary. Because they already have a cook. Over the period, she lost the interest in cooking and continued hiring a cook. She highlights the reason of having 'no time for cooking' to herself also and everybody else feels it justified because she is a working woman.

An IT professional lady who used to put gajara (a garland of small flowers) in her long hair and bangles in both hands, had changed her dressing style to match the corporate culture. Her appearance was accepted by the society and her own family members too, because she is a working woman. Although, she never felt complete by looking herself in the mirror and was just performing her duty without being happy deep within. 

These are just couple of examples. There are many childhood hobbies we leave behind as we grow up. But work life balance sometimes detaches yourself from being you and it hurts. There are many ladies who hides their hobbies, interests or likes to carry a label of working women or their professional designation tags. There is nothing wrong being known for your own likes. No interest area is entitled to homemakers dedicatedly. We are women and have certain qualities, certain instincts and certain behavior patterns too. No need to divide our interests according to our professions.

Working women are more practical and clear in their thoughts. Because,  they face some challenges in the office like - continuous competition, need of learning ever evolving technology, office politics and a stress of job loss too. These all factors contributes to clarity and practicality in their thought process. In-spite of all difficulties, working women gives office work and house chores a priority over their likes and dislikes. Practical way of thinking can not differ a woman from being a woman. 

You are a women.. a mother, a wife and you have a little girl also inside you, hidden. Things which gives you happiness could be as small as - your kids playing happily in the heap of toys or decorating your dinning table with your favorite flowers or some silly movie inspired thing in your bucket list. Whatever it may be, find it, do it and be happy. Dress up the way you want. Get surrounded by people who appreciate your efforts, value you and deserves you. Being a woman is the most beautiful feeling... cherish it. Do not restrict yourself under the charisma of 'a working woman' badge. You are much more than just your professional identity. Women are the sole of the family. Emotions, care, love and affection reflecting in actions of a woman makes her family members happy and comfortable. Nurturing kids, creating sweet memories, maintaining physical health and keeping everyone in good psychological health are few of the utmost important activities done by women silently. Though it is challenging, it gives immense satisfaction to women. The professional identity gives women a sense of achievement which is undoubtedly essential. But a woman deep inside any lady has numerous other adorable qualities too and her boundaries are not just limited to office job....Do not let that woman down....