It’s been quite a while since I’ve written and honestly it’s because I chose the most writing-intensive semester of law school. From writing a research project on the intersection of people with disabilities and human trafficking, writing a research project on wage theft in the U.S., and four major writing assignments for Legal Writing 4 Public Interest, I was not sure I’d come out of this semester in one piece. But, alas! Here, I am.

It’s hard to believe I have two years of law school done and only one to go. Part of me is sad knowing I could be graduating right now had I not taken a detour. However, I’m thrilled to have more time to volunteer in the community without the need to start paying back major student loans.

Health Update

The next two weeks I have blood work, scans, and a meeting with my endocrinologist to check in after my elevated levels a few months ago. Please pray for the all-clear or that I will be eligible for alternative treatment this time around.

“Scary Close” – Donald Miller

In Donald Miller​’s new book, one of the conversations is about how we wear our jobs as a costume and how this prevents people from actually getting to know us. He went on a retreat and the only rule was that you could never talk about what you do for a living. He writes:

I never realized how much I’d used my job as a social clutch until the clutch was taken away. I must have hinted that I thought my work was important a thousand different ways…I must have been nauseating to be around. But deep inside, I wanted to desperately to talk about what I did because I knew people would like me if they only knew. I knew people would think I was important. Slowly, over the week, I realized I was addicted to my outer shell, that without my costume I felt vulnerable. p. 31-32

Man, I know I’m guilty of this. How frequently do we enter new social situations and the conversations start out like “What’s your name? What do you do?” How different would our relationships be if we didn’t approach conversations this way?

What kinds of questions do you think would spark honest, meaningful conversation? What would it be like to allow people in to that vulnerable place to know you for you?