ABSTRACT
The personal and professional are woven together in this essay, because that's how my life was-and still is today. Sometimes for reasons beyond my control and more times by volition, my career path was circular, often chaotic, and certainly not linear. This is not an unusual scenario for women. I purposely reveal the twists and turns, so that those who do not fit the mold of "traditional scholar" may be encouraged to press on in spite of social norms or life events. For me, it was difficult to determine whether family was interrupting career or vice versa, because I wanted both. The dialectic of family and work became reality; the constant tension became normal, the delicate balance of family and career. I wouldn't have had it any other way.
