My number one goal is to be valued and recognized for my efforts. No more invisible labor.- Connect with my son in person more than three times a year. Try to visit him once in LA.
- Get treatment for my dizziness.
- Find a safe, affordable and independent living situation for Samantha, regardless of how impossible that mission seems.
- Help Samantha find part-time, paid employment working with young children.
- Find a life skills coach who can support Samantha in goals 4 and 5.
- Enjoy a long, romantic weekend with my husband.
- Avoid toxic people and learn to recognize who they are before they can hurt me. No more narcissists, users or liars.
Worry less and laugh more.- Enjoy more of New York. See at least one Broadway show and go to one concert.
- Write a one woman show for Samantha by the end of 2020 and still find time to blog for The Never-Empty Nest.
- Plan one long weekend away with a girl friend to laugh and relax.
- Be generous to people who are generous back.
- Be kind and patient even when that’s a challenge. (If you’re reading this, Samantha, you might want to add it to your own list of resolutions and include being patient with yourself).
- Receive payment for my writing.
- Seek out more performance opportunities for Samantha and then enjoy watching her.
- Dance six days a week. If God can rest on the seventh day, so should I.
Plan at least one party. Maybe a 30th birthday party for my twins? Even though the thought of it makes me feel ancient . . .- Keep my real estate broker’s license even though the law changed and now requires 22.5 hours of excruciatingly boring continuing education ANNUALLY. Snore!! I haven’t practiced real estate in nearly 30 years, but I’ve paid a few thousand dollars in renewal fees over the years. Hey, you never know….
- Try for at least 7 hours of sleep every night. When the morning light makes it difficult to continue slumbering, always wear my purple sleep mask which says: “Dream Big.” Even though I’m in my 60’s, what better advice could there be?
Marguerite Elisofon is a New York City writer and the author of My Picture Perfect Family, a memoir about how her family navigated life with a child on the autistic spectrum before the internet and support groups existed. She also blogs about parenting young adults and disability related issues in The Never Empty Nest. Her writing has been featured in a variety of publications, including Time and NY Metro Parents magazine, and her family’s story has been featured by the NY Post, Fox News, The Daily Mail, and on Jenny McCarthy’s Dirty Sexy Funny radio show. A Vassar graduate, Marguerite was born and raised in New York City, where she still lives with her husband, Howard, in their mostly-empty nest. She is available to speak about a wide variety of issues relating to twins, parenting, and autism. 