Repetitive Strain Injury................

No, not the "had an accident at work, not to blame" kind of repetitive strain injury.  I trained at a firm who were a (defendant) insurance litigation specialist so I have acquired far more knowledge about certain types of industrial injury & repetitive strain than I will EVER need  (industrial deafness in lorry drivers.............).

However one of the facts that I somehow read somewhere and now state confidently as Gospel (don't take my word for it in this case) is that repetitive and extremely boring tasks are a source of stress in themselves! So you might think (if you had never done it) that assembly line work carries no "stress" - possibly RSI of the wrists from lifting or twisting or turning, but any workers executing endless, eye-watering repetition of detailed, identical tasks also suffer genuine stress.  (Mr LAL, who seems to have done most jobs while through school and further education has of course done this kind of job along with much more eclectic roles - translating school textbooks English-Latin-English??).

As a Lawyer I have to say that really really, although "basic Wills" should be very similar I never never felt the job was repetitive! Because Will writing revolves around people, and people are all different. What they think they ought to want and what you perceive that they know they really need (thank you Terry Pratchett) are always unique! And my stint as a paralegal/legal secretary (my most recent role, undertaken after specialising by passing some really rather self-satisfaction-inducingly-difficult exams as a stepping stone between being a Lawyer and Life After Law) was never "repetitive" - because the demands of ones fee-earner are many and varied.......

But I have to say, despite the bewildering unpredictability of life with any child, let alone one who can and will freak out about well, who knows (but never consistently) - if I have to sweep the B****Y floor ONE MORE TIME or pick up the C**P off the bedroom (and study) floors YET AGAIN I will actually, well, erm, feel very annoyed!!!.............

And yet, capriciously, sometimes it is the pleasant, unchallenging hum-drum of the tasks that have gently ground a well-worn smooth groove into your day that are part of your relaxation.  There is something satisfying about the fluid, strong swoosh of the soft broom flicking the sticky cheerios of breakfast (but not the "wrong" cheerios, for the love of GOD not the "wrong" ones!!!!!) into the corners with the random glitter from treasured craft projects carried about until totally denuded of adornment.  I feel a quiet glow of pride and inner peace when my kitchen surfaces are totally clean and clear and I am about to start some domestic goddessery involving butter, sugar and pink food colouring.  A well scrubbed toilet and gleaming sink and taps are very satisfying in a way that is so much more easily attainable than a perfectly balanced set of estate accounts (accurate to the last penny over millions of pounds) or a really cleverly drafted trust (the cost of which, the client will naturally bemoan, however outstanding your ingenuity!).

So what does this mean.  Well, I like being a stay at home mum,  but sometimes it is REALLY REALLY BORING doing the same job over and over again.  And sometimes that same job is quite satisfying and relaxing.

So I'm unpredictable and hard to please.  So sue me, (good luck with that, I know a lot of lawyers!)