Shortly after my twins were born, a contract of mine was abruptly ended by an upheaval in the client company.

I didn’t look for a job for two years.

I tinkered on my house and other crazy projects – one of which you may have seen on TV. Oh – and I flipped a house. Sold it in 2005.

Most importantly, I helped my wife raise baby twins, which was a treat. I really feel like a dad. I was there, man. In the trenches. For two years. When they hit the terrible twos, I was back to work and outta there !

I would like to do this again but in economic times like these, I feel I should be making hay while I still can so I’m keeping the nose to the grindstone. Perhaps when the music ends on this contract I will do some more tinkering – maybe on a web site.

Two years was the longest. I had three or four breaks of 3-to-6 months as well in the last 12 years of independent consulting. I live for them, frankly. I call it “practicing for retirement.” I’m pretty good at it by now.