Private citizen Hillary has nothing better to do than respond to pressures from the Left and the Right

AP photo courtesy of Real Clear Politics.

Reading about the pressure for Hillary Clinton to run in 2016, I’m thinking she and I have something in common. A recurring annoyance from being self-employed and working from home is that others often assume I have nothing to do. Never mind that I’m working on a book-length memoir, maintain a blog, and complete freelance writing assignments periodically. 

Obviously, simply managing my life takes time with bills to pay, chores to do, and maintaining ties with friends and family.

And here we have Hillary Clinton seeking some downtime after years of public service to enjoy being a private citizen for awhile. In the meantime, she’s writing a book, making paid speeches, and contributing time and energy to the Clinton Global Initiative – the family foundation.

Are all those pressuring Hillary to run for president in 2016 oblivious to the fact that she has other things to do at the moment?

Plus, there are the Republicans and a few pseudo progressives at the Huffington Post doing their best to destroy her potential candidacy before she even has time to take a deep breath and compose an announcement.

I deal with pressure in my own life by practicing mindfulness meditation and for all I know, Hillary does the same. If not, I’m wishing she would explore this wonderful means for maintaining sanity in the midst of life’s many conflicting demands. 

Here's a thought: Wouldn't it be wonderful if our next president practiced mindfulness meditation?

The AP's Ken Thomas explores Hillary’s efforts to seek the right balance:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Hillary Rodham Clinton is trying to strike the right balance between staying out of the daily political maelstrom and setting herself up for a possible second presidential run. But her fans and foes are making that difficult.

Nearly six months after departing the State Department, Clinton finds herself in the middle of an early effort by both parties to prepare for her return to politics even as she keeps to a schedule of highly paid private speeches, work on her book and her family's global foundation.

Clinton has not said whether she'll seek the White House in 2016 but grassroots activists are already at work on a super political action committee called Ready for Hillary, which has rallied local supporters, started a fundraising campaign and rolled out prominent endorsements.

Republicans, meanwhile, vow to dissect her work during the Obama administration - including last year's deadly assault on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi - and use the former first lady as a fundraising tool.

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