Door No. 1

So it's done, at least in my mind. I'm going about my business with every intention of giving up the job that's been so much a part of me the last six years.

In a way, it's a relief. You wave the white flag and you don't have to fight anymore. But let me admit something: there have been times when I've felt work gets in the way of play. The weather is warming up and I wonder sometimes what I'm doing between four walls. I could practice piano more, join a women's soccer league. The latter I've had to give up for lack of time.

And then there are the kids. There is a reassurance I feel secretly in knowing that I won't miss as much of their childhoods. I remember a few months ago going with my son and his preschool class on a field trip to see the circus. The circus was lame, but the way he squeezed my hand and wouldn't let it go, like he would lose me, was really something else. He won't always crave my company like that.