When it comes to recognizing the important things in life, I’ve arrived slowly and a bit reluctantly. There was a time, after raising three children, that I ran as fast as I could down the road to just-leave-me-alone! I’d been missing out on all the stuff that I thought mattered to me, such as my music. Heading out in the car meant enjoying all the oldies I’d been missing, weather I cranked up the volume or listened at a whisper, it didn’t matter. What mattered was that it was my choice and no one elses, and most importantly no one was complaining about it. Another biggie to me was a clean house. Having no kids around meant no mess. No dishes stacked up, no stinky chaotic bedrooms, no mountains of laundry, no sticky kitchen floor, no broken down cars in the driveway or cluttering up our garage. Gone. All of it. Gone. The road to just-leave-me-alone brought relief and restfulness. Sleep came easier and in greater blocks of time when we were no longer waiting up for our teenagers to wander in by curfew, praying they would be timely and safe. Worry, worry, worry. Don’t drink and drive, don’t drive…