Lawlady's Divorce and Relationship Blog

Our Civic Duty to Do Something Far Out with Ourselves

That man wrote me again. 

"I was reading your website.  You sound crazy.  Why should I hire you?  You shouldn't be talking about all these other subjects. You should be focused on doing legal work and telling us about the law." 

Well my first comment goes to why are you reading my blog then Sir if it offends you and is off topic? 

My second concern is that he might be right.  Potential clients might be better off going to a lawyer who lives, breathes and dreams in legal concepts. 

But with family law, I'm not so sure that is a healthy sign.

If a lawyer repeatedly finds that the client's problem so captivating, there is a very strong risk that the lawyer is going to (a) burn out, (b) over identify and  shave years off his life from emotional upset, or (c) be painfully tedious. 

I'm all for a healthy dose of focus and discipline at the day job.  I just consider my blog, my second job.  I've decided it's what I can do to contribute to the betterment of our world. 

As you may be aware from reading me recently, I think it's every American's duty to be pulling two shifts right now.  One for yourself (to pay the bills, feed the family, buy yourself some opulent spa service) and one for the world (selfless contribution of what only you can contribute best- be that day care services, picking up garbage from a highway, or making way-cool model airplanes, because hey... you're the Model Airplane King.)

In every other time in American history (since I know Jack about history I might be fudging here), when we were at war, we all made a sacrifice.  We cut back at home. We cut coupons, we ate less sugar.  We sent our young men to be killed via a draft. 

Even if we weren't at war with another country, we are at war against ignorance, greed, and lethargy. Pick your battle. There are enough of them going on.  Certainly you can find one you will enjoy to enlisting in. 

We should coop the military's recruitment slogan:  An Army of One.     Let's all be An Army of One.  Pick a battle we want to fight, and fight it.

Personally I'm fighting the battle of fat. 

Some Liberal Recommendations

I have a dearly beloved ex-boyfriend who is in the army, so I hate to be critical of the military out of respect for him.  But... honestly, I think that the Iraq war is a mistake.  Tonight's movie confirmed it.  If you have the chance, go see The Ground Truth.  It's a documentary of interviews of Iraq soldiers speaking about their personal experiences, and footage from the war. 

While there, I met Bennett Marks, host of the Thursday 5:00 P.M. radio show called Empowerment Radio , a show dedicated to discussing the issues and giving you options for next steps. His  blog  claims the show is "where the edge of insights meets the resolve to be in action."   He's actually experienced wire tapping and email spying by someone... the government?  Rather than provide fear-based media, he's trying to talk intelligently about issues with world-class experts and theorists and provide enough ideas about what people can do to make a difference so that listeners don't have to fall into despair but are rather energized into action.  He comes from a business and coaching background, so his perspective is not as a serial pundit or journalist. He's a person who's used to creating positive outcomes in the world for the companies he worked for and the clients he's motivated.  My guess is that his show is having a meaningful impact on the world.

Catch him at 1150 AM on Thursdays during drive time on your way home from work.  And see The Ground Truth- it's compelling.   (You too Sean). 

This I Believe

Well, here is yet another plug for TEC, now known as Vistage, the CEO/Entrepreneur support group. It acts to support business leaders lead with confidence, courage, and integrity while avoiding costly mistakes and decreasing decision making time.  You meet monthly with your group and get the type of assistance that a private Board of Directors could offer you  if you were powerful enough to have a private Board of Directors. Here's the link if this kind of group sounds interesting: Vistage.com.

Last night I was writing about what you would say, if you knew the whole world was listening to you for ten minutes.  I thought, "wouldn't it be great if we could assemble all the stories together to find out what humans know to be true."

Well, synchronously, today at my Vistage meeting, the leader suggested I check out "This I Believe," an NRP show.  Well, I just logged on. Here is what the program is about per the NPR website:

This I Believe^® is an exciting national project that invites you to write about the core beliefs that guide your daily life. NPR will air these personal statements from listeners each Monday.... By inviting Americans from all walks of life to participate, series producers Dan Gediman and Jay Allison hope to create a picture of the American spirit in all its rich complexity.

This I Believe is based on a 1950s radio program of the same name, hosted by acclaimed journalist Edward R. Murrow. In creating This I Believe, Murrow said the program sought "to point to the common meeting grounds of beliefs, which is the essence of brotherhood and the floor of our civilization."

In spite of the fear of atomic warfare, increasing consumerism and loss of spiritual values, the essayists on Murrow's series expressed tremendous hope. ...

..."As in the 1950s, this is a time when belief is dividing the nation and the world," says Allison about life today. "We are not listening well, not understanding each other -- we are simply disagreeing, or worse. Working in broadcast communication, there's a responsibility to change that, to cross borders, to encourage some empathy. That possibility is what inspires me about this series."

For the full text:  link here: npr.org/thisibelieve/about.

I'm going to enter a submission before my next meeting.  I think you should too. 

 

Let's Reclaim the Color Khaki

I heard the reader comment about the fact the present theme of the week does not print out.   Yes, I tried it on my printer, and the lighter font will not print out on a regular printer. I've asked the powers that be at typepad to let me change the font color.  Hopefully, this will work and if not, we'll move on to another color schematic.   I was digging this para-American palette.  Just like I'm simultaneously into wearing khaki t-shirts with my navy work suits.  I think it is important that the army is not the only one wearing that color. The color needs to be preserved for other uses.  I'm not sure what it reminds me of besides the military, but that's why I wear it.  I want to recall other things besides war. The color must have other natural purposes in nature. It's not quite the color of desert plants.  It's not exactly pine tree color.  I'm not sure where I remember the original color from. Maybe it's a color that doesn't happen much in the northwest. 
What does Khaki remind you of besides the Army, and paint-ball outfits?

Thank you to the reader who pointed out my printer problem.  We're on it here at lawlady.blog.   I'll respond to your email off line.  It' s been a busy week. I have a Vistage presentation tomorrow.

Here's a mini-commercial and then I'll sign off: 

Vistage:  The best business decision I made all last year. It's a monthly executive support group acting as the board of directors for small entreprenurial companies,  and CEO support for CEOS and other top company officials. You'll be pushed by other amazing business professionals to take your work to the next level. Completely worth the price (both time and $). Check it out at at vistage.com.