Jane Pauley’s new book about reinventing ourselves rather than retiring is getting a lot of press lately. I love Jane and remember how upset I was when she was released from employment by the network. I didn’t watch that station for years because of it. She was a symbol for all the boomer women who were working in a man’s world.

After listening to the umpteenth interview with her I looked at Ron and said it was sort of a bunch of bunk. What separates my generation of women from today’s women is that we not only tried to do it all but sometimes it was expected. I don’t look at this time in my life as a reinvention at all. I just finally have the freedom to do what I should have been doing all along.

There is no more pressure to work and put the first husband through school while my education had to wait, work to support myself and kids as a single mom, work to make sure those kids had the best possible chance at college and life while my second husband [ 30 yrs!!] supported his own kids. I don’t have to work at a job or career that isn’t a good fit for me mentally just to please all those other people in my life.

It is a time of being selfish and self centered. It is really a continuation of a life interrupted that now has a chance to make it to the finish line my way.