Down The Line

Legally Rambling (February 9, 2012). It was freezing and wind raced across the pitch as the girls played in the tidal zone of what was a very close soccer game. An amazing game, filled with all the emotion of a Super Bowl, or play-off game, ... the thrill of a score, the agony of a missed shot or step. And, then it was over. My daughter (step-daughter really, but I don't recognize that term in my house - we are one family), had the first shot, the last shot and tended goal with the best of them - shot after shot after shot. I was proud, full of excitement and just really amazed! She is a killer soccer player. It's one of those moments in life when your kids teach you something. You know the rare moment when the whirl of life stops for a split second and you can see clearly. Magic. My kids are all Magic.

So I really started wondering why I had questioned this game for so long. Why I had left the field so young to play American Football. As a kid, I admit that I really didn't like soccer. I thought it was "gay." Perhaps because of the way Soccer was coached in 1970s Texas, or perhaps it was 1970s Texas. Lets face it Soccer wasn't that popular.

So, I mentioned this fact to my brother and he stated "oh yeah, you have to read Soccer: A Spectator's Guide by Ron Rhody and Chris Rhody." A great book about a dad dealing with the same situation.

So, then the opportunity presented itself ... I was asked to help coach my six year old's soccer team. One practice down! And, I realized that my son is exactly where my daughter was when I met her.

So as I watch videos now, read blogs about soccer, read books on my kindle about soccer and try to learn a game I dismissed as a kid (also about my daughter's age), it really presents a great and happy hope for me.

The hope that at any age, if we can honestly stop for a second and look at a situation differently, we can change. We can change perceptions, attitudes, thoughts and even learn from them. In a small way, we can become young again and view something through young eyes. A great lesson for some lawyers who have been doing the same thing for far too long.

Thanks Emma, one day you will read this and perhaps forget the game (like so many others) that generated the seed, but my hope is you can recognize the tree that was born from it.

Ramble On!

The Art of Reset

Legally Rambling (January 30, 2012). Back in the Blogosphere. Oh, what I have learned in the time away. The practice of law is still as awesome as ever. But, my wife taught me an old, but important lesson this weekend. The Art of Reset.

Now most of us type Aers don't think a break is a necessary item. However, some studies have revealed that at seven weeks we lose it - the blade starts to go dull.

This weekend my wife decided we would take a night off - no friends, family, kids, animals, no dealing with exs or their incidentals - just the two of us at the Ritz-Carlton Dallas (my compliments to all who work there). What an amazing experience!

And, then you realize it's the break!

We get so caught up in the "daily drama" that we forget our inner voice, we don't realize how magical the person we fell in love with truly is, we don't realize the importance of doing what we are doing because, quite frankly we are just "doing it". Don't just do it! If you are, then you seriously need a break!

It's also a huge lesson for young lawyers - boundaries (more to come on this topic through-out the year)!

Don't let the man, the practice, clients, your firm, or your boss grind you down! It's Ok to take a break.

One of my legal assistants and my associate attorney did today and I survived!!

Ramble On!