should I take the job? (m)

If I were to write a book about my life, the title would be Too Much On the Plate. 

The double entendre is deliberate.

During the 26 years I worked full-time, I raised two kids, went to their sporting events and built a house; I had no time for myself.  Weekends were spent catching up with life and visiting my mother and elderly aunts.  No wonder I looked the way I did.

Since I retired in September of 2007, I have learned to stop and smell the roses.  I focused on getting myself in better shape and enhancing the quality of my relationships with people who are important to me.  So far, it's worked out well.

But change is in the air. Sam graduated from college in May and is working and living in New York City.  Harrison graduated high school in June and is taking a gap year to compete internationally in skating.  He will matriculate at college in the Fall of 2013.

As I look ahead, I have to say I'm scared.  My days, once overbooked, look empty.  My kids will have left the nest.  My mother passed from this world as has a dear friend.   My next door neighbor is building a home in Florida and will likely be there full time.  My friends in Boston who were at home while I worked are working now that I am at home.  My husband is busy, waking at 5 a.m. every day, out of the house by 6 a.m. and home by 7 p.m.

When I was deciding whether or not to retire back a few years ago, I consulted with a psychologist who specialized in helping women with career choices.  She was wonderful.  I looked forward to every conversation with her.  She died of ovarian cancer.  I am surprised by how much I miss her.  I have so many questions to ask her. 

Recently, I started seeing a colleague of hers, also a psychologist.  Lois is great and is helping me map out "M 2.0"  She thinks I need to go back to work.  Not full time.  Enough to keep my mind engaged.

The other day, I was sitting at my computer writing a list of things I would consider doing (homework from Lois) and my phone rings.  It's a great friend and someone with whom I worked at my last job.  He is calling me from out of town to say "hi."  As I'm talking to him he says another former colleague wants to say hi.    I talk to S, glad to hear his voice again after 5 years.

S asks what I'm doing with myself these days and I tell him about the boards, volunteer projects, etc.

He asks if I miss work and I say yes.  I miss the intellectual stimulation; I miss the comaraderie; I miss the adrenalin rush of getting a big project done.

He asks me if I want a position at his company.  I laugh.   He's serious.

Long story short, I meet with his Human Resources person at a conference room at Logan Airport today.  The HR person says they would love to have me.

The job is in Europe.