Futurelawyer

Morning In America.

Never give up hope that dark mornings will bring the light of day into your life. Without despair, there can't be the next step into the light.

 

In the blackness of the early morning

I struggle to see a path

from my bed 

to the next room.

I look for coffee

and a companion.

She isn't there anymore.

I am alone

and wondering where to go next.

I shuffle on tired feet.

I put one foot forward,

and then the next.

I try to remember to look for obstacles

in the dark.

How long before I reach

the light switch?

How many steps?

When would this sadness end?

How many days must I suffer,

looking in the dark

for a light switch,

that always seems so far away?

How many times will I stumble

over a dog’s toy,

or a leftover shoe?

I hope I find the light

before the blackness covers me,

and I find myself in a box,

from which

I can't escape.

#WhyIGoToDisneyWorld - I Refuse To Wear Bells And Hike In The Woods With Bears.

Okay, for today's no brainer, I give you this sign's advice to wear bells while hiking in the woods, so as to warn the bears and other animals that you are coming. First. I suspect that human smell will give you away. Second, I would rather not announce my presence to a hungry bear. Third, I want to be surrounded by other fat people on paved concrete paths, whenever I walk around Florida. I also stay far away from wooded forest and dirt paths. Call me crazy, but I really try to avoid bear encounters in the wild.

#WhyIAmASolo - I Don't Need Money To Be Wealthy.

One question I get a lot is whether I am sorry I didn't make a lot of money, as do some BigLaw lawyers. Perhaps the reason is that I don't measure wealth in the same way. Stress, large firm management problems, long hours that stretch into nights and weekends, in exchange for a huge bank account that supports all sorts of expensive things, do not, in my view, equal the freedom of one day during springtime, when I can get up out of my office chair at noon, and spend the afternoon doing nothing. Add that up to hundreds and thousands of afternoons, and freedom becomes a measure of wealth. Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius got it. I thank them for their wisdom. 

"What the Stoic does is not increase their expectations and demands commensurate with their success or status. Because if you do, you will always feel poor, as Seneca has said, and you will always be unhappy. True poverty, he said, is not having too little, it is the need for more, more, more. True wealth then, is being divinely content with what you have."

 

Are we truly content with what we have? Or, are we always pushing, striving, wanting, and needing more? Has anything you have spent your life pursuing ever made you truly happy? Or, is it when you relax and become content with who you are and what you have already that you become happy? Your call.

#WhyIAmA Solo - Nobody Ever, On Their Death Bed, Regretted Chasing Freedom Instead Of Money.

#ParrotSunday - Sarcasm Is Not Just For Humans.

Any parrot parent will tell you that parrots do sarcasm as well as humans.

China Doll.

She seemed so delicate.

Her pure white skin

was pale against his dark arm.

He was afraid she would break

if he held her too tightly.

She spoke of secret desires,

and he understood.

He wanted her with a fire,

eternal in its power.

It lit his life,

and threatened to burn;

but, he moved closer anyway.

He wanted to feed her

with his power.

He wanted to hold her with his arms.

He wanted to seduce her with his intelligence.

His words

were tools,

to let her know

that deep inside,

he wanted to grasp her soul,

and carry it to ecstasy.

He imagined that she sat

before a quiet stream

next to a forest.

He admired her from a secret place.

He approached, unseen,,

and she leaned forward

to hear the passing water.

He knew that if she heard him coming,

she would,

deer-like,

run away to a place of safety,

thinking him to be just another hunter

looking for a meal.

How could he show her

that he was, like her,

a frightened deer,

running away from the hunters

who chased after him,

and that,

together,

they could protect each other

from the destroyers

and the breakers of china?

#WhyIAmASolo - I Decide What Days I Go To The Office.

BigLaw Firm Sets Rules For Hybrid Work. This BigLaw Firm has decided that its lawyers must be in the office from Monday to Thursday, giving them the "flexibility" to work remotely on Friday. I realize that Big organizations must set rules and standards; it is why I chose to be a solo in the first place. I may not make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year; but I don't work insane hours, and I decide whether to work remotely. If you need (or think you need) the prestige and money of a BigLaw partner, go for it. Just consider that there are a lot of benefits to having personal work freedom as a solo. I assure you that you will not, on your deathbed, regret taking too many personal days. In fact, the quality of your life depends on how many personal days you take. Every day should have some rest, some joy, and a lot of freedom. We don't get that many, do we?

#PoetryFriday - When The Doorbell Rings.

I wonder what you will look like,
when you come for me.
Will you ring a bell
to announce yourself?
Will you wear a black robe
and carry a weapon?
Or, will you stealthily
come in the night,
when I am sleeping?
I wonder if you will
have a recognizable face,
or wear a mask
to hide your identity.
I know that you will come.
I know that you are coming
for me.
Will I have time
to bargain with you?
Will I be granted
the grace of a warning?
What if I still have things to do?
What if there are others
who need me?
Do you have feelings
for those you visit?
Do you bring a gift
along with your message?
I wonder whether
you will allow me
the benefit of waiting
until I have done what
I need to do?
Perhaps I will hide from you,
in a place where you do not go.
Perhaps I can avoid
your visit
for a little while.
I promise that I will not
be a problem.
I promise that I will
tell others to acknowledge you,
and I promise that I will
answer the door
when the doorbell rings.

Climate Emergency? What Climate Emergency?

#TBT - Spaceman.

The Stoics teach that traveling to faraway places is not a substitute for dealing with our ability to control our actions and reactions to our fates. This recalls the mountaineer who, when asked why he climbed the mountain, answered: "Because it is there". When we seek answers to our daily strife, perhaps we need to look closer to home.

SPACEMAN

He pushed the envelope

Put on a white spacesuit

Trained for years

Swam in weightless swimming pools

Took a thousand medical tests

Waited for his day to ride the candle

up to the moon

and back.

He left his family

waiting

at the altar

of professional accomplishment

Wondering whether it was worth it

To see the stars.

The spacecraft

had a million parts

complex computers

lights blinking madly

monster engines

burning fuel and gas

exploding into the darkness

of a launch pad

built with the sweat of a thousand men and women.

When he got to space

He brushed his teeth

looked into the mirror

slept eight hours

read a book

did his work

and looked out the porthole

at the same stars.