There must be a paper due……
because here I am writing a blog instead of going over the paper that I must hand in tonight. I think it is really close to being done. It is our second legal memo. We’ve been working on it for about a month and it’s gotten to the point that I’ve read it so many times it no longer makes sense. Our prof. once used the phrase “total abomination” to describe the only reason a paper would be handed back to completely rewrite. While I don’t think my paper quite fits that description, those words echo in my head and are much easier to understand than my discussion about a landowner’s possible breach of duty to a juvenile delinquent who got hurt trying to destroy his property.
Funny how we all get hung up on certain parts of an assignment, sometimes to the exclusion of actually completing the assignment correctly. Recently much of our class handed in a less than complete assignment because they’d been so focused on one aspect of it that they did not hear the instructions about the full assignment. Our prof. took some of the blame and gave them an extension, but I find that the error is analogous to the entire paper – ha – and even life!
It is so easy to get hung up on an area we are having trouble with, or that is especially time-consuming, that we neglect the other pieces to the detriment of the whole. Guess that gets us right back to that “balance” message again……all parts of our life need attention, or the “whole” will suffer. We must make time for family, friends, fun, spirituality, eating right, sleeping (what is that??), while maintaining our law school career, and for many of us, a job or existing career. Big question – when? In my 8 weeks of wisdom of balancing all of this, my best answer at this point, is it doesn’t all happen all the time, or even every week, but I think it can be “rotated in.” One Saturday, you meet with friends for dinner, the next go to a movie with your partner, grab an hour on Sunday to read a book or watch some tv, take a few minutes to IM a friend every couple days. It’s not life like it used to be, but it’s still life!
Insider advice and insights to help you decide if you should pursue a higher degree while raising children, and tips for being successful if you're already on that path, from a woman who graduated from law school in her early 40's while working full-time and helping raise two young children. While most of the blog posts were originally written several years ago, they have recently been sorted for the most relevant materials, and new content is being added.