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I just went to yet ANOTHER 50th birthday party. This time it was for a college friend that I reconnected with through FACEBOOK. We hadn’t seen each other since college, so there was a lot of “filling in the blanks.” She went around the table explaining to others how each friend was connected to her. As she did, she made mention how well we all had done by noting that “Deb” was a teacher, “Cathy” was an exec with Verizon, “Patty” was a high level government employee and “Norma” was an attorney. Like I said, it had been awhile since we last spoke – 3 lifetimes ago. The “filling in the blank” hadn’t yet started. I didn’t feel like this was the moment to correct or explain where I REALLY “WAS” today. Actually, I didn’t want to, PERIOD . Who’s to say I will ever see these people again, and why go through the explanation. But, if the situation was different, and I was sitting with a group of neighbors being introduced for the first time, would I have found the NEED to explain? Better q...

SO, ten years later, and I am once again faced with another sudden shift in direction. As I am in the midst of apologizing to whomever is asking as I explain my current change in employment (or lack there of), most responses range from – “that’s great that you can do that", “this is the time your kids need you the most”, “you’re doing the right thing", “you won’t realize it now, but your kids will be better for it". The problem is, those responding are working. NOW I feel the PRESSURE IS ON – my success will only be measured by my childrens’ success. I’ve succeeded ONLY if they have succeeded. The problem with this is that you can’t compute this success in dollars and cents. It’s an arbitrary measurement that won’t be realized for years to come. For someone who likes instant gratification, that’s a hard pill to swallow. We let our nanny go in October of last year after 5 years. It was time for STRATEGY CHANGE. We were bringing in the “BIG GUNS” – MOM. As background, our...