Last night I went to dinner with the entire family and wound up in the corner (no escape!) wedged between my father and my mother.

Making conversation during the main course, I told my mother about the Wednesday interview, concluding “I don’t really know if I want it…”

Her response was to purse her lips, stare at her salmon and say, somewhat hesitatingly, “But CB, it's better to get paid alot of money to work in a job you don't like than to get paid a little money to work in a job you don't like.”

Touché Mama.

About five minutes later, it was my father’s turn to hear the story of the interview. Having learned from my mother, I concluded “But it would be a lot more money than I have now, so if they gave it to me, I'd take it.”

His response was to look at me quizically and intone “No job is worth selling your soul.”

And that was a pretty good point too.


This story can illustrate one of three things:

1. I was raised by two very different people, thus making me into the well-balanced woman you see before you


2. I was raised by two very different people, thus making me into the slightly schizophrenic woman you see before you


3. My parents are actually very similar in that they must contradict everything I say. (I mean, seriously, if I had told my mother I'd be taking the job it's quite possible she would have said "Remember what matters. Love. And joy. Not money.")