Chapter 65. Thinking about Tomorrow

ADAPTING TO A MAJOR LIFE transition requires considerable gear shifting as well as some financial reserves, courage, and a sense of adventure. When Susan Crandell walked away from her dream job as editor-in-chief of MORE magazine to become a freelance writer, she wondered if she would really find the better life she sought, if her life would ever again be as interesting as it had been as founding editor of a magazine whose circulation climbed to 1 million in six years, thanks to the stories of exciting adventures and decisions that women made in their forties, fifties, and sixties. The magazine was successful because many women at midlife wanted to gain inspiration to make tough decisions themselves. Susan is a business source I wrote stories for when she was editor of Ladies Home Journal and later when she was editor at MORE. We've also ridden several Century Rides together. The Century is a 100 mile ride; the one we do takes place in the Hudson Valley at leaf turning times.

A MORE survey found that nearly three quarters of the upscale, educated readership of the magazine weren't crazy about their jobs. Crandell had always been an adventurer—bungee jumping with her daughter in New Zealand—but considered herself risk averse when it came to needing a regular salary. So she wanted some extra inspiration herself. Combining her newfound freedom with the knowledge that she wasn't the only middle-aged person thinking about changing her life, she set ...

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