On Leading a Double Life
On Leading a Double Life One of the reasons I wrote my memoir – and then, ironically, one of the reasons I hesitated to publish it - was because I was leading a double life. I’m not being dramatic here. I was quite literally leading two separate lives: At home, I donned sweats and made bad jokes and cooked and cleaned and nagged my kids to shower and do their homework; On Wednesdays, Thursdays and every other weekend, I wore stilettos and designer dresses, went out to shows and fancy restaurants, laughed at handsome suitors' jokes, and relearned to embrace and express my sexuality and individuality. For the first time in over a decade, I was a single being in the world - not defined as one half of a couple, not seen only as a mother to my children. It was frightening, confusing, exciting, and terrifying. I felt constantly - whether out, having a social life (for the first time in what felt like an eternity), or home with my kids (meeting the expectati...