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4 Years

Today is the 4 year anniversary of my first post for WWALD. At the time, I was a recent law school grad, had just finished the NY Bar exam, and was putting the final touches on my September 26 wedding. Since then, I have lived in 3 apartments, gotten married, had 3 jobs (1 terrible, 1 decent and one very good), bought a house, had a baby, watched the baby become a 2 year old mini person, gone back to practicing law, and found myself living the life of a working mom. 4 years is not even half a decade, yet I have lived half a life in these 4 years.

It feels like time to put WWALD on hiatus, while life intervenes, and getting dressed is just a hobby that lightens a dreary morning. Enjoy the moments you have each day, good and bad, teething toddlers, infant diaper changes, bad bosses, great bosses, J.Crew fall style guides, a cocktail with an old friend, lunch with a new friend, and everything in between.

Thank you for reading!

Lean Back, But Dressed in Heels

I have not read the much discussed 'Lean In' by Sheryl Sandberg, I have not read any books in the past 2 years. Instead I have been busy working full time, raising a toddler, buying then maintaining a house, and trying to be a good wife. The aforementioned are nothing particularly exclusive for me, as millions do the same each day along side of me. But personally, I find it hard to do them simultaneously, as one always suffers at the expense of the success of another.

I have had 3 jobs in the last 4 years. Each had its own special set of challenges, and while I wouldn't say I 'leaned in' at any as much as maybe I liked to think I did at the time, I still went in each morning on time (well, early mostly because that's part of my neurosis) and rarely skipped a day. With a child at home, its hard to really crave that elusive level of professional success the same way you crave a new pair of shoes or a good nights sleep. Sure, it sounds great, seems very 21st century to chase up the ladder, wanting to break any glass ceiling, but in truth, its far easier to do a job well, and relish the reality of arriving home at 6 pm in time for dinner every night. So my advice to women is not to claw, climb and crush your way to the top, but rather do something that you can tolerate (because most of us must), and be happy there.

I guess its a little leaning back (or maybe no leaning at all, and rather standing up straight), but I do it in great shoes, dressed my best, and my little one knows when the garage door opens that I'm home for dinner each night. Some nights wine is for dinner (since even a job in law that allows punctual departure is a job in law after all).