Random Law School Update 27

Previous Location: Cancun, Mexico
Arrival Date: September 3, 2011
Departure Date: September 8, 2011

Last Location: New York City, NY
Arrival Date: September 9, 2011
Departure Date: September 9, 2011

Current Location: Washington, DC

I feel like I had better write lest I should disappear in your memories. I haven’t come across the words yet to describe August and September. The two months were radically different, but I couldn’t tell you why.

I went on vacation over Labor Day. It was my first break in nearly eight months. When I traveled prior to coming to law school, I had told myself that I was taking all of the vacation for the rest of my career in advance, so that I could focus on law school and my professional ambitions without dreams of adventure and freedom getting in the way. Apparently, it doesn’t work like this. The mind eventually goes numb.

I finished up at the Chancery Court two days before classes started. Mother nature saw to it that I had an earthquake and a hurricane that week to celebrate my departure. The court shut down early my last Friday and I hopped on an Amtrak train to outrun the storm. I spent the weekend moving back into law school. I miss Wilmington some. I would not recommend it as a travel destination, but my life there had grown on me. I had a wonderful time working for the court. It was a special thing to be a part of.

The weather in DC has been delightful. I find myself talking about it more than usual. And then I catch myself using it to make small-chat and I wonder if I have really grown that boring.

I am back in school now. It has been a month. There are no words to describe school this semester, not the usual ones at least. Law school is no longer new, nor is it as exciting or novel or jaw-droppingly difficult as it used to be. It is still challenging, and for this I am grateful. I shudder at the thought of finding myself attached to a life that is not sufficiently challenging.

I decided a few weeks ago that I am getting close to deciphering the code to happiness. It will take a few years of practice and implementation to see if I have it right, but it is worth getting excited about in the meantime.

Steve Jobs died today. In a commencement address to Stanford Graduates in 2005 he articulated some of the sentiments I have shared in my recent updates, "Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything -- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure -- these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

Love,

Melissa