My Capricorn Sister

Michelle Obama turned 45 on January 17th
I turn 45 January 19th
her resume:
A native of Chicago's predominantly black south side, Michelle Obama always has been a creature of discipline, decorum and determination. Her résumé is as impressive as her husband's. She is a 1985 cum laude graduate of Princeton University, a 1988 graduate of Harvard Law School, a former associate dean at the University of Chicago, and currently a vice president at the University of Chicago Hospitals. Michelle Obama sits on six boards, including the prestigious Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and Tree House Foods.


my resume:
An Air Force Brat Lisa has not always had 'discipline" in her vocabulary. Her resume' stops around 1993. She is a ( nothing cum laude) 3.0 graduate of Drexel University. She always despised being a student and could not wait to make money. From the time she could play with paper dolls ( because you can change their clothes a lot and Barbies are just WRONG) she knew she wanted to be a buyer. Her professional life took off rather quickly and she was a buyer with responsibility for 15 million in sales at the age of 27. But then love walked in . First comes love, then comes a boy in the baby carriage. The love as a first time Mom was like nothing she had ever experienced. She convinced her husband that it would cost more for her to work than to stay home. She took an oath of poverty, promised they could survive on home made pasta, and home grown tomatoes and love. The boy was followed by a girl and now she had a new title, professional breast feeder. ( something she was once repulsed by) . Breast feeding is one of her proudest accomplishments because she credits it for her children's extraordinary intelligence and good health. When it came time for the boy to go to pre-school she said " hell to the no" and the rest is history. The boy had his first day of school at age thirteen, the girl not yet. Another major accomplishment is cross country moving. In a period of eleven years Lisa has prepared( packed , unpacked, packed, unpacked, sold house, bought house, sold house , bought house) the family to move from one coast to the other and into the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Also notable is her four year job as a cancer care giver. She credits this with the time she learned the most about life, love, friendships.
Her major responsibilities, in her current job are: dish washer, teacher, launderer, professional chauffeur, coach, life coach, counselor, chef, nutritionist, allergy specialist, spiritual apprentice, dog walker, dog whisper, wife , counselor, love. Her new project is figuring out what she wants to be when she "grows up the second time."


I look at Michelle Obama's "on paper resume'" and feel so inadequate
her accomplishments are major
mine not so much on paper
She seems to have managed a demanding career and family quite well
I came to a cross road and chose family as the ultimate priority
I don't regret it but when I see a woman like Michelle I feel like I should be doing more
accomplishing more
my children have teenage bipolar disorder
love you one day
hate you the next
its hard
I fear that my job review
which I won't receive for quite some time
10, 20 years from now when they have their life and relationships in progress
will be marginal
what if I've made mistakes that they will take with them into their adult lives
what if they don't come visit
or maybe the opposite
what if they never leave
parenting is hard, hard work
but Nothing compared to what Barack and Michelle Obama face for the next four years
So maybe I don't have it so bad
I have three people to worry about every day
they have millions