3L and the City: Stop and smell the roses

By Maria Vasos
Chicago-Kent College of Law

Okay, so it is February and there are really no flowers around to sniff, as everything in Chicago is still pretty much frozen over, but the deeper meaning is what I am trying to convey. (Unless you have a Valentine’s Day bouquet on hand, in which case, smell away.)

Over winter break I finally had the time to read for pleasure and came across my new ­favorite book, “The Undomestic Goddess,” by ­Sophie Kinsella. The book is about a 20-something lawyer-girl at a large firm in London who gets fired after a £50 million ($100 million) mistake.

Long story short: She has a nervous breakdown, hops on a train to the British countryside, and happens upon a job as a live-in housekeeper incognito, only to realize that she doesn’t have a clue how to cook, clean, or essentially do anything besides be a lawyer, because she has never had any time. Her previous life was devoid of any personal time, hobbies, a mate, friends, or even family to share it with her. So, like any good modern-day heroine story, as a maid she gets a new hairdo, a tan, a boyfriend, and a bunch of friends who treat her like family, all with ensuing hilarity.

I, of all people, am not advocating scrapping a very expensive, hard-earned law degree for a toilet brush, if at all avoidable, but I would like to put the ideas of moderation and prioritization out there to the Chicago Lawyer readers. I know that law school and the legal profession groom their participants into being competitive over-achievers. I too am one of the personality-less drones at times, especially during finals, all work and no play.

Law school’s lengthy reading assignments, detailed memos, and harsh grading curves all drive the highly pressured lifestyle. Even your peers add the proverbial fuel to the fire by ­validating your stresses and engaging in friendly competition. So, even when you do take a much-needed break, you start to feel guilty that you should be studying, or ­out­lining, or working on something productive. This is nonsense. Everyone needs a break now and then.

I, for one, think that yoga should be a ­required law school course in the curriculum, much like professional responsibility or senior seminar. Not only does it focus on mental clarity and stress relief, but also the bending and stretching is vital to circulate the blood and boost energy for people who spend most of their days hunched over a laptop or textbook. For those of you interested, my favorite yoga position to do to during breaks is ­”Warrior 1,” which is like a forward lunge with both of your arms stretched out toward the ceiling. I also always throw in a few head and neck rolls for good measure.

Reading this book really brought home the idea that being a lawyer is just your profession, it is not all that you are. You should reserve and take some personal time to allow yourself to decompress once in a while. (And, perhaps, read a book.) That great partnership, associate offer, or law review spot will be pointless, if, in the end, you are too wound up to enjoy it, or worse, have a breakdown that prevents you from keeping it.

And, just as you need to take time for ­yourself, you need to take time for your ­relationships too. Your mother (or yiayia) will not be around forever, you know, maybe you could give her a phone call now and again? Likewise, your significant other, although ­undoubtedly understanding of your hectic lifestyle, also needs some attention and tender, loving care on at least a periodic basis.

In looking for tips online, I found a good one that said, in order to make personal time and relationship time more feasible, you need to schedule them into your agenda just like other priorities (and not cancel them).

So for example, you should schedule ­family time, friend time, relaxing bath time, and ­anything else into your datebook, and treat them like mandatory obligations that cannot be put-off to an indefinite later date. That should prevent the common pitfalls like ­having other important things to do at the same time or having a month go by before ­realizing that you were supposed to have ­dinner with someone in particular, or worse yet, figuring out that it has been several years since your last vacation.

A few years ago, I had another inspirational casual reading experience when I came across a coffee mug. It said something to the effect of, many years from now it will not matter how much money you make today, but it will matter the relationships you garner and the effect you have on others. I don’t know how much the first part is true because, theoretically, if you win the lottery today, or a huge case windfall, it most likely would matter, at least to you, years down the road. However, the second part I know is true.

Think about this, nobody ever died wishing he or she spent more time in the office.