Last week, I ran into a few friends I hadn't seen for awhile. One was all atwitter about a home she was in the process of buying, which caused another to wax reminiscent of her own homebuying odyssey a couple of years back. The latter blurted out, "I love my house, but I have to be honest: I wish I'd never bought it. Too much of a commitment."

Mind you, this came from a woman with a husband, two kids and a highly visible executive role at a large company. When I pointed out what seemed to me to be her inconsistent logic regarding her approaches to long-term commitments, she elaborated: "Because of the house, I can't just pack up and move when I want to anymore. I can't just strap my kids on and take them with me wherever I go."  more...