I recently was blessed to have my fifth...yes #5...grandchild, and somehow it seems like a major milestone.  I have two biological sons (and 3 grown step children) and each produced two amazing children. And, that seemed to model my own life -- having two children. But, when my son, Rich, and wife, Lisa, had Griffin 8 weeks ago, that changed.

I can't explain why, but having a fifth grandchild is making me rethink my work and life choices.  I've always worked, even when my children were small, and loved it ...and I still do. In some ways being a working grandmother is the best of all worlds. I pride myself on working toward the goal of feeling effective in my personal life and my career -- a daily challenge. I don't live close enough to see my children and grandchildren more that once a month, if that.

I want to share another 'learning' from my training for the Avon Breast Cancer Walk. As I mentioned, getting ready to walk 26 miles in one day required a lot of time on the road. I found myself taking the same path every time I trained. After a while I wasn't even aware of my surroundings. I was on automatic pilot, just trying to get the miles in that I needed for training on a given day. Not unlike I can get in my day-to-day routine as I try to manage a hectic career and personal life.