Dictionary.com defines catharsis as "a release of emotional tension, as after an overwhelming experience, that restores or refreshes the spirit." Ryan and I chose to release a little tension this weekend by flying a kite at Gas Works Park for about five hours. The "overwhelming experience" I was trying to purge, obviously, is the last year of law school.
It was a beautiful day on Saturday. Breezy sunniness with a scattering of fluffy clouds that kept you from getting too warm. As we flew our little kite (a Parafoil 5, which my mom gave us) and sat on our little blanket with Gus, I focused on a couple of things that I hate about law school, and I released them, thereby restoring and refreshing my spirit :)The following are a few of the things that I dislike about law school and am hoping to change:
1. I start books and don't finish them. When I am in school, I will start a novel and get about 150 or so pages in and then set it by my bed and forget about it until I hear someone mention it. As a result, I have decided to finish reading all three of the books that I started and didn't finish this last semester (starting with The Sea by John Banville).
2. There is no consistency to one's schedule in law school. This last week, working a regular 8-5 job has been one of the most relaxing things in the world to me. Just knowing what time I will have open and when I can fit personal time into my schedule, knowing that any meeting I have will fit nicely into my work day (no 9:30 pm journal meetings, no 7:30 am oral arguments...). My plan for this issue is to embrace my 8-5ness (really, 5-7ness) and utilize my personal time to its fullest, so that when I head back for my last semester in the fall, I have created positive habits and can look fondly on the summer, knowing that shortly, I will be able to have personal time again (post-bar).
3. Over-processing is a major problem for me in law school. This goes back to the whole qusi-codependency issue my friends and I have. In a typical day I will tell 4+ people about what is giong on with me and in my life. This means that by the time I get home from school and see Ryan, I want to remain completely silent. For example, this is a common conversation at the Eagan/Heffernan abode:
Ry - "Hi. How was your day?"
me - "Fine."
Ry - "How was your interview/meeting/presentation/etc.?"
me - "Fine."
Ry - "Why don't you tell me about your interview/meeting/presentation/etc.?"
me - "I don't want to, I've been talking about it all day."
Ry - "Please, I really want to hear about it."
me - "Tell me about your day."
The result of this conversation is that we will be out with friends and someone will say, "Pretty cool how you got that job/aced that meeting/presentation/won a million dollars," and Ryan will say, "What?!?" And I will say, "Oh yeah, di
dn't I tell you, we're millionaires." So, I have decided to save little gems of information to share only with Ryan so he feels let in on my professional life, after I tell him, I can tell everyone at school and process away with them.That's all.
3 comments:
I think you should send all those tensions and third year anxieties up in the breezy clouds with the kite where they deserve to be.
also think prioritizing processing partners (PPP) is really the way to go. PPP can work well for anyone, with or without spouses. I need to find some processing partners right quick here in Holland because my computer is tired and needs to be shut off. I am also reading a new book -- In the country of men by Hisham Matar. I miss you.
cute pictures!
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