First of all, I've learned that I have no idea what I want to do with my life but that's okay. There are incredible opportunities that people choose to skip because they are ready to settle down and get serious. But I can't wait to spend the rest of my life not knowing what I'm going to do next! I can think of nothing more fulfilling than risking contentment for adventure. I found out that when I listened to other people talk about their law school plans and their graduate school plans, they didn't look like they were making these plans with a thirst for knowledge, but with a thirst for success. Through talking with Dr. Coburn this week, I felt like I was let in on a little secret: the people who are really wanting to change the world aren't looking for a promotion and they certainly aren't worried about popularity. This selflessness is such a fundamental concept but it's something I think people have to figure out for themselves. And I think I have. But I'll let you in on a little secret: I've seen few men talk with such a sincere attitude of complete peace. I hope someday I can find that.
Second, law school is slowly becoming a joke. Our health care LA, Josh, sat with us yesterday after the AOP (Awkward Office Party) and asked what we wanted to do with our lives. One of the interns said, "Law School" and Josh immediately took the opportunity to dissect that decision. Josh worked for the late Bush administration and basically had the job of hiring all the staff (I think he said that made up about 3,000 people). He said the most common interview went a little like this: "I'm an attorney. I'm 40 years old. I have a wife, a minivan, three kids, and job where I work 80 hours a week for too little. I realized I don't want to spend the rest of my life doing what I'm doing." These days, everyone goes to law school. And they really aren't interested in practicing law, but they would rather sit on the degree and use that knowledge to land "any job they want." Dr. Coburn talked about the very same thing. The amount of attorneys has "diluted the pool." They said that we should go for our MBA instead or just consider a Masters in something else. I've been encouraged to consider law school for as long as I can remember but I really want to make sure I don't waste time on a degree that I don't plan to use while I just acquire more debt. Not to mention wasting 3 years of valuable life. There are plenty of other ways to become successful.
I love being surrounded by people who care about their Work. I don't mean work that's punching a time card. I mean Work that is driven by patriotism or anything else that is based on conviction. And for that, I feel like I spent my summer in the right office. No one else in this building is as interested in pulling our nation out of debt by making decisions that are hard but necessary. It was so neat to see our office meeting with Lieberman's last week and wondering what they were working on, all to then see the end result. Not everyone agrees on it, but that's the beauty of it! Our nation was created with debate in mind. Our creators wanted Congress to be a process that was slow and contemplative. And this office is full of people who want just that! It makes coming in to work for free easier, answering constituent calls much more rewarding, and going home much more sad.
Lastly, I've noticed that as I've aged, the years start to go by more quickly. You know the feeling where you feel like you just packed away the Christmas decorations and it's already the day after Thanksgiving? That's what I'm talking about. This 6 week process is already over and in another 6 weeks, I'll be back in school. Yet I still find myself ready to crawl in bed at night when I've spent my day doing nothing extraordinary. My goal is to be more adventurous and stop setting my immediate goals so low. Why should I wait till next spring when I'm studying abroad to get excited about something? Why can't I do little things that excite me along the way? So that's the plan: to not wait so long to be happy so I can say every Christmas, "It's been a great year."
I just know that everything's going to work out and because of that, I'm not as scared of being unsure about my future career and slow about deciding what I want to do. And all of those things are what make me patriotic: the unlimited amount of paths available to me, my optimism for the people who work in this city, and the refreshed spirit I am taking home with me. I have loved every moment. I can't wait for my next adventure.
Oh my! You are on your last day with one of the great Senators. Congratulations to you for acquiring such a sense of patriotism, especially for being true to yourself. GOD IS WITH YOU!
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