When I graduated from college in the early seventies, I thought my prospects looked good. I knew what I wanted to do with my career. I had, I felt, at least a measure of talent, and had already scored some modest successes. But my rise was not swift. In fact, things leveled off before long, then dipped downward.
Then my life went into a free fall.
I lost my job, couldn't find work, and went broke. A romantic relationship cracked up in a way that was hard for both the young woman and me. And a long illness left me weakened— over a period of several years I had no more than a handful of days without physical pain.
