What do you do?

In the United States, it’s somewhat common to be asked, “What do you do?” or even “What do you do for a living?”

Some years back, I attended a lecture by poet Kim Stafford, who explained that in some Spanish-speaking countries, it’s more common to ask, “¿a qué te dedicas?”

The interpretation is perhaps the same. Google translates the meaning as, “What do you do?” but the nuance it misses is in dedicare: to dedicate.

“To what do you dedicate yourself?”

Here, the cashier might reply, “I paint.”

Here, the sanitation worker might reply, “I play the guitar.”

Here, the question is about what’s born of heart and passion… which is not always the same as the activity that pays the bills.