Traveling Tuesday

Last Tuesday I was in Washington, D.C. for the day. This Tuesday, I'm traveling a bit as well...but just around the metroplex! So far today, I have gone from home to the office to the airport Hyatt for my conference to lunch up in Grapevine to my house to pick up speakers to my office to the airport Hyatt and then back to my office...I'm due in a meeting in 15 minutes and then back to the airport Hyatt for the late afternoon session. Ye Gods! I'm tired!

I just thought I'd vent on something today: the attitude accepted by some people that it's ok for a woman to accept that she'll "always" make less than a man and subsequently not to strive for more.

My Pampered Chef director is the one who started this in my mind. Chris and I visited with her and her husband a week ago Sunday, because we're just getting back into the demonstrating business...after 6 or so months off when we were too busy to do anything with PC. I made the mistake of making a comment about current and future wages and that I didn't want to end up in the same boat as my mother, only earning 1/2 as much as my dad's Social Security because she didn't have enough work credits of her own to earn on her own. My director, a very sweet woman only 5 or 10 years younger than my mom, told me not to worry, that women should always elect to just earn 1/2 of their husband's SS because they'd never qualify for as much using their own income.

Excuse me?

I compounded the situation by attempting to explain myself, telling her that until I took a rather, er, HUGE paycut to come to American Airlines(40 freaking percent!)I'd always made more than my husband, year over year, for five years prior. Coming to AA was the first time I ever made less, and so I determined that I'd work even harder at my outside activities (writing, judging, PC, etc.) to make up that difference because I'd be damned if I'd change my quality of living.

So then she used that opportunity to tell me that if I'd just schedule more PC shows (she basically considers me a slacker because I only schedule shows from other shows...I have neither the time nor the inclination to solicit from everyone I know) I'd make good money.

At that point, I just shut my trap. But there's no way that would every be true. I do PC for fun and to get fun products. The average show requires 1.5 hours of pre-work, 1 hour of setup, 2 hours of demonstrating, 1 hour of break-down and order-taking and a final 1.5 hours of entering sales, converting internet orders, working on host orders and transmitting. For that seven hours of work, I'll clear around $75 on average or $10 per hour. On the flip side, my freelancing would bring in about $200 for the same number of hours worked and doesn't require me to get out of my jammies, leave my house or spend money on gas.

All this, just to be happy with making less than my husband.

Dream on! One more promotion at AA and we'll be back to even salaries, but I'll damn sure keep writing and judging...and even an occasional PC show once in awhile. I'm never happy settling for just enough...I'll always want more.

And that's not a bad thing!

Hope you're all having a good day! Off to my meeting and then the conference again!

Tiffany