As most of you know I am a Oprah devotee. I don't miss a show and I agree with her 90% of the time. Well a month ago Maria Shriver was on Oprah promoting her new book " JUST WHO WILL YOU BE " and it shook me to the core. If you don't know much about Maria Shriver to put it in a nutshell her father, Robert Sargent Shriver, started the Peace Corps her mother Eunice Shriver (sister of John, Robert and Ted Kennedy) started the Special Olympics and last but not least she's married to mega move star Arnold Schwarzenegger. Maria is no shrinking violet, she was a top news reporter with NBC for years (she started her career in Baltimore at the same station at the same time with none other than Oprah) but that all came to a screeching hault in 2003 when Arnold became Governor of California. She went from high powered paid news woman to First Lady/Mom. Now to most neither of those sound bad and honestly they aren't, if that's what you've chosen or were your ambition. Well last fall Maria admitted at her yearly womens conference that she the hard working, globe trotting, high powered and high paid reporter had lost herself after her husband was elected Governor. After listening to her speech I no longer felt bad about myself for a being 35, fired from my job with only 1 prospect (that fell through) and for the first time in my life having no plan for what's next. That night I went to Wall-Mart at 11:30 and bought a copy of the book (as always Wall-Mart had the best price, less than 10.00 dollars) and read it in a little over an hour. It's a small book with a big message. EVERYTHING I've been feeling and going through at 35 she talks about in the book feeling and going through at 53. This book is a great gift for high school grads, 1st year college students or college grads, a friend or relative going through a divorce or someone who's been laid off/fired. This isn't a heavy book, no overpowering religious/spiritual message just a reminder it's ok. It's been almost a month since I read it and I start college the end of the month (never in million years did I think I'd be a college student) and I'm moving to New York next week (never thought I'd leave home). Am I nervous, yep, am I anxious, a little. Now to top it off I'm leaving with job, no prospects, for the first time in my life I don't have a plan or anything specific in place and guess what, it's ok because I now ask myself with optimism and excitement "Just Who Will You Be"?!

     


Evolving In 2008