I am empty nesting. Redefining who I am. Parts of me were put on hold during those years when the focus shifted from me to raising my children. My children have successfully made their way to college and beyond. The immediacy of my day-to-day involvement has waned. And I have found those parts of me that were buried, scratching at the surface, clawing their way from the depths they were tucked away, and itching to be re-exposed. The athlete I'd been all my life wanted out.
I was a swimmer...
In my mid-fifties, I decided I needed to celebrate where I have landed in life. Even that came at an incredibly challenging time for me. I was about to release my memoir, and my nest was officially totally empty. I felt excited about the book but a considerable void about life without my kids around. I used the need for book promotion to do what I never do: put myself front and center of the camera – without my children as props. I played dress-up for a few hours. I had my makeup done, which...