I Shouldn't Be Telling You This (Excerpts)

I'm sure you've had more than a few insane workdays. Me, too. One of the worst for me may have been when I had to moderate a panel at a management conference several days after my father died. No one in my company would have minded if I'd bailed, but I didn't feel comfortable leaving the organizers and panelists hanging. So I sucked it up-but I felt as though I were in some horrible altered state.

Though I haven't seen the last of insane days, they have at least decreased in number over the years. That's partly due to the fact that I don't have young children right now. When your kids are little, you not only have more demands on your time and energy, but you're less resilient because you're so freaking tired. But I also have grown better at managing stress and general craziness.