others what had been done for her. When she couldn’t get to a therapy appointment, she called on the local FISH (For I Shall Help) organization for a ride. (Now she is a regular volunteer driver for that group.)

Pam found herself reexamining old dreams and creating new ones. Some were dreams she had talked herself out of fulfilling because, at the time, she was caught in a balancing act between what would be good for her family versus what she would like to do.

One thing she knew for certain is that she wanted to incorporate her innate drive, passion, and previous years of experience as a teacher with a willingness to learn anew with a relaunched career and life purpose. Pam is finding a lot of pleasure and a challenge in pondering the different options for what could lie ahead. What’s easy is knowing she wants to follow her passions to carve out a new path.

“With my children moving on with their lives and at my husband’s career stage as he heads closer to retirement, I want more flexibility to travel, and I have a keen desire to do something new (not just be a pampered, stay-at-home socializing and shopping suburban woman),” laughs Pam. Having taught at the college and high school level for twenty-seven years, teaching is no longer on her list of “someday I’d love to.”

“I loved teaching college biology at Harper [a suburban Chicago community college],” says Pam. “But I was ready for something different. I have affected many lives with my teaching, and I want to keep leaving my mark. Joining a volunteer group or going back to grad school would be new challenges.”