Buzzing thoughts

I cannot sleep. Celine (my sister in law) is coming tomorrow morning - she is on the plane right now! I am making sure everything is ready. From the mundane details like guest room linen and toiletries, to the more exotic like our flight tickets to Xi'an next weekend, and organising the horse riding trip we have planned tommorrow, and booking her on a trip to the Great Wall and so on...

At the same time I am struggling over a really interesting contract with a whole bunch of (what I have finally decided are) contingent condition precedents and the effect of non-fulfillment or part fulfillment of some of the conditions? My good friends Chitty, Treitel and Lewison are having chats at the back of my head and the noise is keeping me awake.

How do I want to structure my maternity package? What should I negotiate for? Is it at all important? Hey, if I wanted to work for money I am definitely in the wrong place. I should be doing some snazzy finance related work and have a whopping big expat contract. But luckily I am convinced that the work/life balance I am afforded here, and the truly awesome environment more than makes up for the extra money I could be making in elsewhere. But will it always be like this? How can I make sure that it stays this way? Will I still get the interesting work when I have handed over all my best work and clients for half a year of maternity leave? Should I ask for such a long break from fee-earning work?

Like a horde of angry busy bees I have these thoughts in my head keeping me awake awake awake. T

I know that there is no "correct" textbook answer. And I know many times the path reveals itself as you tread upon it, but it doesn't silence the bees.