I met the Ghost of Attorney-Future last night on the Metro. She asked me what time the Metro stopped running so she’d know how long she had to get lost trying to find Metro Center from Union Station. I assured her she’d be fine, and with 15 minutes until the next Shady Grove train we got to talking.
She told me she’s an attorney in from NYC for a Saturday continuing education course. She’s recently started switching from doing half-tax, half-litigation to all tax because she can go home earlier. Apparently tax is so mind numbing that you can only do 5 hours at a time and are therefore able to stop and go home. Wow.
As we observed a group of decked out 20 somethings laughing loudly she commented that her friends like to get dressed up and go out on the weekends, but when she gets home on Friday afternoon the only thing she wants to do it put on jeans and sneakers. Wow.
She asked me if I was doing Mock Trial or Journal. I said not as of yet. She sighed and said she did both so no one could criticize her for not doing one or the other. But, she added, none of it matters after you get your first job. Wow.
So what does this make me think? I need to make sure Tiny Tim doesn’t starve. And by Tiny Tim I mean my soul. I need to find a legal specialty that is inherently (not just monetarily) fulfilling. I’ll be up for suits everyday and feeling wiped on Friday IF I love what I do.
Possible Mantras:
Does this fulfill me?
What am I going to do today that makes me feel fulfilled?
How can I make law school fulfilling to me today?
Still working on it. Thank you Ghost of Attorney Future.
I came across your blog on Technorati. Nice site layout. I will stop by and read more soon.
Mike Harmon
These are tough questions…but really good ones. I’m glad you made a friend!
I think all of those questions apply not only to law school but really to any profession or even any type of human endeavor that would eat our energy and time. The last bit may be more of a fill in the blank but it still makes sense. I really like the idea of the soul as Tiny Tim that you then have to feed. Though it does suggest a cripple soul (remember his crutches?) maybe that’s the way we all our in modern society with what most decent jobs demand of us. Great post.
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