by Sheryl Pidgeon | Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
For as long as I can remember I wanted to be a mom. Long before I knew what my career would be or who I would marry, I knew. I also knew I wanted to be 100% self-reliant – in complete control of my life – personally, professionally and financially.
I found my passion in PR and advertising. It allowed me to do what I loved most – helping talented/interesting/good people get more attention/make more money/get further in their lives (the same passion I would take into my role as a mom). I led quite an exciting professional life post-college building friendships and partnerships, and many of those relationships are still a huge part of my life. I was operating at breakneck speed and having a heck of a ride, and yet my balance felt off.
I. WANTED. KIDS. Fast forward. At age 33, I found THE ONE who shared both my heart and my commitment to family, and a new chapter of my life opened. I sold my uptown agency and headed north. (AdWeek Magazine heralded the transition with the headline, “SHERYL LILLY GROUP TO SHERYL PIDGEON COOP”. Yeah, that was pretty clever.) The transition from high rise to suburbia was not simple. My husband, David, who had just a few years prior been seeking my keen eye and professional wisdom to help launch his family’s start-up, Starpower, was now delighted if I made him a banana milkshake. I was juggling three kids under the age of 4, and he left each morning for the office, business as usual. Was I envious? NOT. AT. ALL. Ok, Maybe just a bit. I mean, he was leaving the house to build a business, and I was leaving a business to stay in the house. But, I had my flock!
Looking back now, these were some of the most challenging, yet most rewarding, days of my life. I built new friendships, continued to pay it forward in my community, took up tennis and book club, launched two part-time businesses, and raised a family.
Finding balance is a lot like finding the fountain of youth. Your brain knows it doesn’t exist, but your heart says, “This way!”
When I started GLF a few years back, I knew it would likely throw my balance off, but I felt a calling. This time it was to assemble like-minded moms and dads and ask them to join me in this journey to be a part of the (Good Life) FAMILY. We are birds sharing a wire. An extended family so to speak. Working HARD. Still raising kids. Many of us are also part of the Sandwich Generation – those who are literally sandwiched between our teens coming of age and our aging parents. Talk about a juggling act!
Can we really have it all? Personally I don’t want it all. I’ll just take my part, as it comes, one day at a time. Because giving 100% is really about giving, not giving in or giving up. So, as you read this issue of GLF, I hope you are by a pool (with a frozen drink) or in a bubble bath or savoring a well-earned pedi – or whatever brings you just a bit closer to center.