Two months in, and I’ve already hit the new year running! The past few weeks have been extremely busy, being packed with new cases, court hearings, and jury trial preparations (some of which were for trials that resolved at the last second—it happens). It doesn’t appear that 2022 will make things easy for an apprentice attorney. Fortunately, 2 years in the legal profession have prepared me for the challenges of lawyering, and I won’t start backing down now!
Among the hodgepodge of hearings, case reviews, jail visits, and constant phone calls that compose the day-to-day life of an attorney, I’ve gone through the typical milestones of each year. Namely, I survived my birthday in January and endured Valentine’s Day/Singles’ Awareness Day in February. Normally, these would both be joyous days spent with loved ones and fattening food. Unfortunately for me (though somewhat fortunate for my blood sugar levels), both celebrations had to be put on hold when they came around for 2 reasons: (1) there is still a pandemic sweeping across the world and (2) duty calls when you’re a lawyer. Safety and work obligations alike kept me busy through the early 2022 holidays. Some people might see this as a major bummer, but I’ve gotten used to delayed gratification being all the sweeter when other priorities rise. Sure enough, I made sure to enjoy late celebrations with Cthulhu and Christmas Cat when freer weekends came up. Furthermore, I made sure to enjoy plenty of cake and chocolate pasta (my new indulgence of choice) between social interactions and rounds of Kourtal Kombat. Holidays are just dates on a calendar; living in a celebratory mindset is a way of life!
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| CAKE! |
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| CHOCOLATE PASTA! |
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| MORE CHOCOLATE PASTA!! |
With another birthday come and gone (and a few pounds presumably added to my body weight), I am now 29 years old. Not only is 2022 the newest (and hopefully final) year of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it marks the final year of my 20s. Honestly, this has been weirdly sobering and has caused me to make a host of reflections on my life and the decisions I’ve made up until now. Fortunately, I am happy with my current position and have few regrets. I’ve worked hard, I’ve got a stable job, and while my social life could be more exciting, I’ve managed to make things work. This reflection on my growth is further complicated by COVID-19, as the pandemic continues to be on the forefront of my mind (I recently lost a colleague to the virus, which was a shocking blow for many in my professional community). As such, I’ve redoubled my efforts to stay safe and take precautions to protect those around me. At the same time, the last years has somewhat lit an adventurous spark in me. Thanks to this pandemic, I’ve had to confront my own mortality more so than in the past. I only live once (that I know of), and I could theoretically pass away any day, be it through disease, a car crash, or an @$$hole’s bullet. As a result, I’ve somewhat committed to live life to the fullest every day: there’s a lot of conventions this year that I want to go to (but likely won’t to be safe), I eat cake all the time, I’ll never again turn down a soft pretzel, I’ve resolved to play more video games, and I intend to continue spending every weekend with Cthulhu that I can. These senses of responsible safety and memento mori/YOLO seem to be at odds, but I hope to strike the appropriate balance. As I move forward as a 29-year-old manchild, I’ll be sure to suck the marrow out of life while taking care not to choke on any bones or get into fights with hungry bearded vultures/furious Marowaks.
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| One thing that hasn't changed with my age: my penchant for tie-dye fashion, even if it takes new forms. :) |
