Caught Mid-Stride in Life
By Rebecca Wicks
I am a child of the 70s. I wasn’t allowed to have a Barbie and was told repeatedly I could have any career I wanted. Later in the 80s I was surrounded by entertainment media that showed me how women could and should be in the work force. Sitcoms – The Cosby Show, Family Ties, etc. – featured mothers who had successful careers. My junior high school project which propelled me to state-level competition centered on women’s suffrage. I was a 14-year old acting out the likes of Susan B. Anthony and Betty Friedan. I was seemingly programmed from day-one to be a ball-busting, no-nonsense, all-out woman-in-charge.
I went to college. I went to grad school. By 27 I held a senior position at a global marketing firm where I had at times dozens of people reporting to me in multiple countries dealing with CEOs of companies like Starbucks, Jacuzzi, Visa and Amazon.com. Working with Europe and the east coast meant getting up early. Conference calls with Asia meant working late. Five minutes did not pass during waking hours without glancing at my Blackberry.
I was just finishing a whirlwind trip that took me to Dallas, New York, Orlando the Caribbean, back to Orlando and then to Portland all within two and a half weeks when I caught myself mid-stride in life. I was exhausted – and I wasn’t even 30. And, the kicker was: I wasn’t happy. I had achieved financial success. I had married a great guy. But I was tired and stressed and didn’t have a lot to show for it.
Flash forward 8 years.
I’m a stay-at-home mom – and, I love it. I work as a writer when I have time. I do news and feature pieces. I occasionally take on some corporate advertising copywriting and other projects.
What I truly enjoy is writing about is my family. I blog about my kids and our little adventures. I love dreaming up outings and other activities. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a strong-willed person who cherishes efficiency and organization. I’m still lost in a Michael’s craft store and have no idea how to operate a glue gun.
I’ve just found a place – even if it’s just for now – where I feel more needed then I have ever felt, a place where I get a sense of fulfillment that I’ve never had before.
What happened? I sometimes wonder: Was I not cut out for a high-powered executive lifestyle? Was I pushed into thinking corporate-dominance equated to success and subsequently happiness? Was I supposed to be “in the home” all along?
Maybe someday I’ll return to the world of conference calls and Blackberries --or whatever technology rules the day.
For now nothing makes me happier then when I snuggle up with my four-year old and she responds with, “goody, goody, goody.”
Rebecca Wicks is a professional writer and stay-at-home mom. She writes on business and technology, home and garden and family and parenting issues. She is a regular reporter for the Ventura Breeze newspaper and has appeared in a number of magazines, eHow.com, Doityourself.com and other online sites. She blogs at writerslifeforme.blogspot.com.
