Why I Work

Well, obviously, it's because I prefer eating to starving. I have a perfectly round shape that I need to maintain, and regular meals and mouth-watering sweets don't come cheap. I've often wondered if I'm a big fat coward, hiding out here in the non-profit world, disguising myself as an executive who lives for her work. Don't get me wrong: If I have to work a 9-to-5 job, this is the way to do it. They're great to me here, I love my coworkers, and I'm well paid to do work that I find enjoyable. I just never thought when I graduated that I'd be doing the corporate grind 20-odd years later.

What did I think? I planned to be a world-famous novelist and host Saturday Night Live by the time I was 26. I would list Monty Python as one of my biggest influences, and that was going to mean something to someone. But now I'm not even sure I care if I'm published--although I care very much if I write--and when I mention Monty Python, I generally get blank stares. Needless to say, I have not received the call from Lorne Michaels.

Somehow, I've managed to stumble into a lovely life, despite all my attempts to sabotage myself. After a disastrous first marriage, an attitude toward work that some call unconventional and others simply call lazy, and a rather seat-of-my-pants approach to parenting, I've landed in a beautiful place. I think I might just be the luckiest girl in...my zip code, definitely.

And quite frankly, the money comes in handy. Little girls like mine sure know how to drain a bank account, and she's not even financially spoiled.

Have I sold out? I guess so. But life is good, so I suppose I won't apologize.