Five years ago, my life seemed happy, familiar and settled. I had just turned 43, the baby was six months old and the condo remodeling was almost finished. Then my personal stock market crashed. We didn't have to, of course, but it was the best way for him to advance in a company he enjoyed. It was the moment I had dreaded since the mid-1980s when the corporate headquarters shifted from near San Francisco to Kansas City.
Some people react to moving with excitement.
A friend, whose husband was in the foreign service, says when she learned they were moving, she would put on her dancing shoes and get busy. I reacted with sleepless nights, tears and tension headaches. It wasn't like I hadn't moved before. Va. In fact, it was because of my job that we were in California. By rights, the next move was his.