I studied like crazy in high school. I had to. I wanted to keep up with my super-smart peers, I wanted to do well, and I wanted to get into a “good” college. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do beyond those things, but I knew, at least, where I wanted to start.
And I succeeded. I was admitted into a top university, and I earned a bachelor’s degree cum laude. When I graduated, I took a mediocre job, which quickly morphed into an exciting one. There I discovered my love of writing and my interest in health. Eventually, I left that company when the politics grew wearisome. Rinse, repeat.
After just a few years, I was on my way. The firm’s president took me under her wing. She brought me into high-level meetings, introduced me to high-level clients. My professional career was a certainty.
And then two things happened: 1) I got pregnant and 2) the multiple sclerosis that I had been diagnosed with a couple years prior became more difficult to manage.
My husband and I bought a townhouse that we could afford on just one salary and when my son was born, I quit my job. I didn’t know how long I’d live the life of a stay-at-home mother, but I knew that was all I could manage for a time.