I dreaded being asked what I did for fun. As a working mom, I didn't have an answer.

The author started painting again.

Courtesy of the author

• I used to dread being asked what I did for fun as a working mom.
• I started carving out small, creative moments in my daily life.
• Those habits helped me feel more like myself and less depleted.

For years, the question at the office every Monday, as I got coffee, was, "What did you do for fun over the weekend?"

This question made me want to crawl under the table. Not because I didn't love small talk...