The "Ah-ha...hahaha" Moment

Oprah often discusses something she refers to as the "ah-ha" moment. This is the state one finds themselves in when everything clicks, the sky opens up, and the choirs sing "Hallelujah." Then you get off meth, leave your cheatin' boyfriend, start a company that becomes wildly successful, steal Brad away from Angelina, and live happily ever-after in a blissful state of eternal balance. (You ARE on "Oprah," remember???)

I had my "ah-ha" moment regarding the direction of my (so-called) career months ago. It happened to coincide with the extremely eventful birth of my first child, so I had to wait a few months to make sure the "ah-ha" wasn't just some sort of hormonal thing. I am just settling in with the realization that the "ah-ha" moment was indeed a genuine one and that it is time to make some serious plans to move forward. But for now, I must remain in my current position - which I must emphasize is not an awful one, we're just not suited for one another anymore - for a variety of reasons, most of them financial in nature.

So today I had what I am now referring to as my "ah-ha...hahaha" moment. I was asked to pick up a chef salad (NO CHEESE! LITE DRESSING!)for an executive/professional type while on my way to a meeting this afternoon. Nevermind that lunch had already been provided for this meeting - the man wanted - nay, was entitled to - a salad! Alas, the only (pre-made) chef salad I could find had cheese in it because, well duh, chef salads HAVE cheese in them. So, I purchased the salad and then sat in my car and very carefully, the-devil-wears-prada-style, picked every cube of cheese from the container. And then I started laughing. I am 29 years old - a wife, mother and a very capable worker - and I am sitting in my car picking cheese out of a salad FOR A GROWN MAN.

I need a change.