Values

People often asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. This always resulted in a complicated mental process in my head. Some people were privileged enough (fell victim and stayed awake long enough) to hear my entire explanation. Eventually, so many people asked me, I came up with an abbreviated answer. I had picked something, but I wasn't sure it was what I wanted to do. I spent a lot of my time convincing myself it was definitely what I wanted to do, but at the end of the day, my heart just wasn't in it. Then again, my heart wasn't really in anything else.

Some people ask me today if I like my job, and I am fortunate enough to be able to honestly answer, yes, I really do. I love my job. I love being able to wake up every morning and not have to dread walking into the office. I have head hunters call me on a regular basis about new opportunities in the legal field that I may be interested in, and when they hear me describe my office, and hear how I sound about my job, they decide that I really should stay where I am.

I love my job, and I love that my commute time is nearly non-existent, but I know there is more to life than work. There are friends and loved ones. I have the interesting opportunity everyday to deal with people close to, or at, the end of their lives. I get to hear their reflections, regrets, and memories, and not a one of them doesn't hold dear the memories of their friends and loved ones. I cannot think of any that cling to all of their great work stories and anecdotes. My job may be the most fantastic thing in the world, my living arrangements may be spectacular, but they aren't my priorities. Friends, family, and loved ones have to come first because without all of them, what the hell are you doing it all for anyway.

I have friends that are struck by this notion. "You would leave, move, to be with someone? How could you possibly give up everything you have."

"How could I not? Besides, who said I was 'giving up' anything?"

My outlook on life is interesting to many because for me it is never the destination but always the company. I can go anywhere and be completely bored and disappointed, but I can also be in the most mundane place in the world with excellent company and have a fantastic time. Many of my friends do not understand this in the least. I guess we all have different priorities; different things that we value in our lives. However, at the end of people's days, everyone seems to crave the same thing.