Not in a million years would I dream up such a life for myself. As a child all I ever imagined was that I was going to get married as early as possible, have children and live happily ever after. End of story. Someone - I don't know who, must have put a curse on me; the one that says; May you have an interesting life." Why else would a good Catholic girl end up having a life like this? What would drive a mid-west doctor's daughter to make the kind of choices that I made? Choosing a life as a noncustodial mother of infants, crossing the Atlantic Ocean on a 93-foot schooner, acquiring three master's degrees and a Ph.D., and writing a book about self-empowerment ... What happened to my dream of being a happy mom playing with my children? I'm quite sure it was a curse. Rarely are we able to understand the unfolding of our own story until we seize the opportunity to look back and witness.