Workholic Lady of Leisure: Oh, What Would Mom Say?

The Lady of Leisure when she was twentysomething and a
Lady of Work at the Philadelphia Inquirer.

  To celebrate Women's History Month, the Philly Inquirer, my hometown newspaper, gave over the Style & Soul section to some style & soul. Ten women wrote essays about the type of stuff women debate endlessly with that inner voice echoing in their head. I was one of the chosen. Here's the link. I wrote about my decision to retire -- and how that's going now that I've done it for nearly one year. It starts like this:


  The question always leaves me stammering through a long-winded response.

Do you work?

For nearly 25 years, the answer was a cinch. I was a reporter for this newspaper. It always left folks surprised, sometimes impressed, and often a bit curious.

Last year at 48, I altered my career path - actually, I veered completely off the road and into the meadows of early retirement. That's what I called it, anyway. Now, the question of work and what I do with my time - really, who am I? - is much more complicated.

After all, work is so much a part of identity, and the choice to work or not to work - particularly for women - carries more baggage than a 747.

I watched my own mother juggle scientific research and motherhood. The lesson was clear: Women who are smart work.

And that makes my own choice fraught with layers of complexity that Sigmund Freud himself could not unravel. But, heck, I'll give it a try.

  The rest is at the this link. I'll post about the reaction shortly. And while you're at the www.philly.com site, check out the other rockin' essays.

  The coolest part was the chance to say I blog. Got 15 visitors that day, which is about what I get in the whole month. Though my numbers are going up, thanks to all of you. So keep reading. And start following.