She was still talking. All those around me were in various stages of unrest. Pen twirling. Daydreaming. Leg bouncing. Nail picking. Oh shit. I beg of you, please don’t. Here we go. Listening again to the days of old when she was a consultant at a London-based, telephony company.

"Why are you here!?" Her words slapped me across the face. She bore no insight into the weight that they carried. "Mom! Why are you here?" With hands on hips, my daughter glared at me from across the school quad. For years, I hadn't been "here." Her entire life, in fact. I had been flying in airplanes; commuting in my car; and working long hours. 

Are those plugs? Stop staring at his scalp. Focus. He droned on. “We leverage big data, artificial intelligence and multivariate testing in order to personalize the consumer experience on behalf of our Fortune 500 clientele.”

Road warrior. Battle wounds in Boston. Conquest in Columbus. War won in Wichita. The last three weeks, I had been on the road visiting clients, prospects and our local offices. Feet, head, hurt. Sitting at lunch, pulling information from a prospect, I glance at a group of women as they laugh loudly in their tennis attire. 

Fifth quarter? Coach Dick, what the hell is a fifth quarter? Let me get this straight. You want me to practice two hours per day, five days a week and NOT play during the actual basketball game? Instead, this great conference of ours has created a “fifth quarter” for folks like me that fail to play during the previous four? 

After 16 years of marriage, I filed for divorce. Needed a change. Nothing more, nothing less. Gave everything I had. So many sacrifices for so many years. I loved until I didn’t and needed to leave. With the passion no longer present, it wouldn’t have been fair to stay. No regrets.