I stand in front of the mirror, staring at the reflection.  I know this woman.  We used to be quite close, but I haven’t seen her for a long time now. And yet, she’s so familiar.  Her business suit, high heels, pearl earrings, carefully pulled back hair and subtle makeup.  I have to say, she’s looking good.

I stand there a few more moments and decide it’s good enough: I’m off to my first job interview in six years.  On the drive over I start to get nervous.  The last time I interviewed it hardly even counted.  I was interviewing for a summer associate position at a big law firm and I had several firms to choose from.  It was 2005: the economy was good and firms were hiring like crazy.  I didn’t have anything to worry about.  And more than that, I was young and over-confident.  I was sure that the job I was interviewing for was exactly what I wanted to do with my life.  Everything seemed clear and simple.

Now everything feels complicated.  Do I really want to go back to work?  Do I really want to practice law?  If I don’t get this job, will I be stuck with something much worse?  Is anyone even hiring right now??  What if I can’t even manage to have an intelligent conversation with this woman because my mind is so addled from over a year out of work and home with baby?

Luckily, I managed to talk about something other than diapers and teething.  And to be honest, it was pretty wonderful.  And here’s the best part: I got the job!  Despite my concerns, I think it’s going to be pretty cool.  I’ll be working as an independent contractor for an agency doing freelance legal work.  My schedule will be incredibly flexible and I won’t be working for a hellish biglaw firm.  Now I just need to find some actual work to do.  But I’ve taken the first step and, on the whole, I’m feeling pretty positive about it.  For now at least.