I’ll never forget an interview I did for my book….. One afternoon a mid-forties woman who had three sons joined me for coffee in an artsy bakery in Pasadena, CA. She agreed to talk with me about her transition, triggered by an empty nest. Shortly after we began we unexpectedly turned our focus to an earlier transition, her decision to leave the workforce. She offered, “there was a lot of pressure on me to buy into the concept of being a full-time mother.” Her husband and her in-laws voiced strong opposition to her continuing to work. Financially she and her husband thought they could get by on one salary. Neither of her own parents were living. She said of her experience, “I was the guilty party for wanting to pursue my work. It was a particularly difficult time.” Continue reading…
A Simple Direction
Three of us had lunch. We got together because one of our crew was embroiled in a complex issue at work. We listened to facts. We agreed. We disagreed. We offered opinions. Two minutes before parting the two of us not in the spotlight that day gave quick updates. I told the story about my editor’s pre-Holiday remark, “I am finally hearing YOUR voice.” She said it to me after patiently reviewing draft upon draft of my book. Out of the blue a note arrived a few days after our lunch…. Continue reading…
The start….
“It was who he was, not what he did,” said Governor Andrew Cuomo of his late father in a eulogy earlier this week. Mario Cuomo, himself governor of New York from 1983-1994, died on January 1st. I have long been an admirer of Mario Cuomo’s. Not so much because of his politics or any specific cause he trumpeted. I loved hearing him speak. He was one of the best orator’s I’ve ever heard. If you aren’t familiar with him he is a guy who spoke of gun violence not with statistics but a heartfelt lament. “Too many children hear the sound of gunfire before ever hearing the sound of a symphony.” (DNC 1992) Andrew was right, there was no separation between what he did and who he was. You could just tell – his gift served as a mouthpiece for his soul. Continue reading…
Your gift….
Passion. These days I think the word is grossly overused. Society has toggled on its meaning for me over the past decades. When I was a kid I was first introduced to the word though Catholicism as it was used to describe the experience of Christ in the days between Holy Thursday and Easter Sunday, as in the passion of Christ. Later passion was linked to intimacy. And more recently passion is referenced everywhere as the expression of our heart’s truest voice. Our bliss. Continue reading…