What I will miss (and not miss)

What I will miss about work...

·        free coffee made by someone else ready RIGHT when I get there

·        access to the internet using two hands to type on the keyboard (as opposed to using one hand to type and one hand to keep small, but spry fingers at bay)

·        legal research and writing briefs (yes, sad to say, I actually love doing this)

·        my work friends

·        my name on the letterhead.  For some reason, I got a little teary-eyed when I heard it had been taken off.

·        In theory, having lunch with legal colleagues filled with stimulating conversation and actual complete sentences (in reality, being too busy to even eat lunch until 3pm only to realize I may as well just wait to eat until dinner so I can keep billing).

·        my incredible mentors Bill Wood and Frank Morrison (well, technically good ol'Frank will still be around).

What I will not miss about work...

·        litigation, court, hearings, trials,  battling over who gets the dog in the divorce, arguing as to why the soon-to-be ex is the worst parent on the entire planet (hey, you married him lady, not me!), unpleasant opposing counsel, bad decisions by judges, and on and on and on.

·         late, late nights and early, early mornings (Wait.  Those actually may still be a part of my life)

·         the 25+ minute commute.  One way.

·        Dropping off the children at the “Get Well Place” when they are sick and kicked out of their regular school.  While this is an incredibly wonderful service for working parents, it broke my heart not being able to be with them when they were feverish/vomiting/having explosive diarrhea or all of the above. 

·       Sleepless nights thinking about the upcoming trial/mediation/settlement conference or the endless rehashing about how said trial/mediation/settlement conference played out and all of the things I could have/should have/did say or do.

I can only imagine that I will be adding to these lists as my new lifestyle takes wing.  In the meantime, I am still in a state of disbelief that I have actually stopped my practice and switched gears altogether.  In a lot of ways, my identity as a person has been associated with being an attorney.  I suppose I am going through a bit of a mourning period as I close up shop to take on these wonderful new challenges.

Today, I finally cleaned out my office at the firm.  It was surreal to be there on a Sunday morning, the hallways dark and quiet, no phone ringing, no printers grinding.  As I took my diplomas down from the wall, a wave of sadness came over me.  I loved college.  I loved law school.  I loved learning, reading, writing; and wondering how these subjects were going to apply to my life and career – whatever those would be.  I remember feeling nothing but potential when I graduated both college and law school and I now I wonder if I have squandered that potential.  I’d like to think I haven’t (yet). 

I decided to hang up my diplomas in our den. 

This was actually Will’s idea – I can’t take credit for it.  But now that they are hung, I am glad they are where I can see them.  I earned those degrees and what I learned from those fantastic seven years of schooling has yet to be fully tapped, I am certain.  Looking at them every day will remind me that the best is yet to come.

Have a great week everyone!