A Secret to Success as a Working Mom: Turn Burn Out Into Bliss and Embrace Joy

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Last weekend my youngest was committed to going to the "Water Steps" a man-made water fall in Pittsburgh by the rivers. (Fun Fact: Three rivers converge in Pittsburgh--The Ohio River, The Monongahela River, and the Allegheny River.)  He kept asking. I knew he was serious when he said, "If you won't take me, I'll ask  daddy!" Given that it was highly unlikely that would happen on an unscheduled day, I relented. So, we went. It wasn’t planned in the way most things in my life are. No calendar block. No checklist. No “productive” purpose attached. And, so in some respects it was uncomfortable. And yet, it seemed necessary. It was the idea of my 8-year-old—offered with the kind of urgency only children possess when something is profoundly important to them.
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We're not in college anymore...

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Everyone has an event that reminds them that they lack the exuberance of a college co-ed. It's not that you are unable to do the things that you used to do. It is that you simply can't bounce back the way that you used to.

Many of my male friends wear suits during the week, but on Saturday morning, they are transformed into Lebron James wannabes. They suit up, don their sneakers and head to the court for a pick up game of basketball. I have seen several of these men on Monday morning, in their suits limping. The story is always the same, "I went up for a lay up, but came down wrong. I don't understand what happened..."

As I have mentioned previously, my girlfriends and I often have cocktails after work on Friday nights. We'll pick a hot venue (sometimes hard for Pittsburgh :-)) One cocktail turns into another. We'll decide to have dinner. Then we may have another cocktail. There are cocktails, dinner, and at times dancing. Times are always good on Friday night. However, on Saturday morning things are frequently different. After a night of drinking, we often exchange phone calls that go something like, "I didn't have that many, but today I feel like c-r-a-p! I don't understand what happened..."

The common theme is that both the men and the women are trying to retain their youth. We want to retain it so much that as soon as the effects of our misadventure wear off--our ankle heals, our hangover wears off--we are ready to do it all again. We may not be in college anymore, but we still have a hell of a lot of fun!
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