I hate this time of the year. People spend so much money on shit that is meaningless. I suspect this consumerism stems from northern-living Caucasians attempting to stave off depression from excessive darkness and cold weather. We lose sight in what's important.
What is really important? I am sure it is many different things to many different people. For most of my clients, being courageous and furthering justice is of utmost importance. For a tiny few of them, I suspect revenge and anger motivate them more. For me, sifting through the legions of people harmed, whether or not illegally, by actions of their employers to find the clients who want to do the right thing for the right reasons becomes increasingly important. When I choose my clients too swiftly and my instincts are bad, it takes a toll on me and makes it harder to focus on what's important. There are people out there who, for whatever reasons which could include a devastatingly painful childhood, broken relationships or whatever, have chips on their shoulders. For those clients, nothing is ever enough. They can no longer trust and believe they are victims time and time again. While they may have understandable reasons for being difficult, I no longer have sympathy for them. They drain me. I know I am over-simplifying this, but clients who see themselves as victims have no personal insight nor compassion for others. I am tired of representing people who have holes inside which are impossible to fill.
My job can be wonderful and rewarding, and it can be draining and depressing. I don't like prima donnas. Perhaps I don't like the competition as I can be very prima donna-like myself. This "holiday" season seems to emphasize the materialistic nature of the self-professed "victims" I try to avoid representing.
So, to get me back on track, I want to re-emphasize what is important to me (not in order of importance), so as to get a bad taste out of my mouth:
1. Laughter - my brother put a Jim Gaffigan special on yesterday and my sides hurt from laughing. I love laughing.
2. Children - the time my husband and I spend helping at a kindergarten class each week is one of the highlights of my week. Last night I went to a hockey game and the children danced throughout the game to the music. Children are spontaneous, fun-loving, innocent creatures just like I want to be.
3. Dogs- we have two sweet, caring dogs with distinct personalities. Dogs are loyal and unconditionally loving. They love you no matter what.
4. Family - Loving, caring family. Family is what is most important to me in life.
5. Working - Working at a job that I love most of the time for people that I almost always care about and with people, my partners and staff alike, that I truly love. I don't know I will have the pluck of Gerry Spence to try a case in federal court at the age of 83, but I think I might. Shoot, I have another 23 years to find out.
During this holiday season, with the increasingly diminishing sunlight and the impending freeze of winter, I want to remember what's really important, and find more reasons to laugh.
Wonderful posting! I appreciate your return to essential things, and the irony that in our paroxysms of holiday giving we lose sight of why the tradition of giving began in the first place.
ReplyDelete"Yule" anticipated the end of darkness, with giving of the remaining harvest to celebrate the coming return of light. Think of ancient peoples who saw their growing season over, their harvest over, and their days growing shorter and colder by the day. When the growing darkness finally ceased the hope of brighter days must have made them happier than Barry White in a hot tub.
To renew our focus on essential things we must first discard the banal trappings that substitute for real celebration. Thanks for the posting, and your warm refocusing on the things in our lives that matter.
"The people that are trying to make the world worse never take a day off, why should I? Light up the darkness." ~B. Marley