Sister Jane

The cover of my aunt's book about her trip to visit the orphanage.

My aunt Elizabeth recently came into town to visit. She brought Sister Jane with her, an African nun who founded and runs an orphanage in Cameroon, Africa for children whose parents have died from HIV/AIDS. Kris and I had dinner with them. Meeting Sister Jane was an incredible experience.

Sister Jane told me stories about the development of her orphanage, the children at her orphanage, and attempts to prevent her from running the orphanage. She told me that a neighbor had attempted to poison her and that armed men broke into her orphanage with the instructions to kill her.

Sister Jane is an exceptional person. She has devoted her life to saving children. She is warm and welcoming. She brings with her a sense of calm and instills the desire to help into others. Sister Jane is a force for good.

If you’re interested in learning more about the orphanage or donating to it, the website can be reached here.

My aunt wrote a book about her travels to Africa to help with the orphanage. If you’re interested in it, it can be purchased from Amazon by following this link. 

Spread the word about this amazing cause. Tell your friends to read the book, visit the website, donate, or anything else they can do to help Sister Jane maintain the orphanage for these children.

I can’t tell you how life-changing it was to meet someone like Sister Jane.

Take care,

--Nan  



It's hard to say what it is I see in you...

Sister Hazel performing at Exit/In

Lead Singer, Ken Block

Both photos courtesy of my fantastic boyfriend, Kris Steer.

Look him up, he's very talented!

I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend the Sister Hazel show at Exit/In last night. It was an absolutely fantastic show.  I must admit that I don’t know a lot of their music. When Kris initially told me about the show, I of course began singing the chorus to “All for You” in my very off-tune and untalented manner, but I’m not really familiar with much of their other music.

This will certainly be changing. The band had so much energy and so many great songs to perform, some of which were new songs. I was impressed with their talent and enthusiasm. It was a great performance – one that will surely not be forgotten!

I’ve recently learned how much the world is full of talented people. Living in Nashville tends to do this to you, as you see people at hole-in-the-wall music venues who are extremely talented and are waiting, just hoping to be discovered.  It’s sad to me that some of the best talent goes unnoticed and unappreciated.

This extends far beyond the music scene. It extends to everything. Every day, people do amazing things, from saving a life, keeping the streets safe, or teaching a child how to read. These simple things should be acknowledged more often. After all, it’s the simple things in life that really matter the most.

My so-called “life-philosophy” has always been to love others. I think the most important thing we can do in our lives is positively influence others – by loving them, respecting them, listening to them, teaching them. The development of loving and trusting relationships (in any form – family, friend, significant other, etc.) is essential to leading a fulfilling, meaningful life.

This is part of the reason why I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I want to share my experiences and the lessons I’ve learned with others. I want to help others, and the best way I know how to do that is to write.

Take care,

--Nan

5k Success!

Take a close look at this image from my treadmill yesterday:

Ignore the time and pace on that image. They’re not exactly correct because I took some of that time warming up, cooling down, and intermittently walking. But, take a look at that distance! Yes, I finally did it – I successfully ran a 5k!

Of course, I didn’t run any official 5k event, nor did I run the entire distance without stopping, but I did manage to run it. I made it! And for any of you who know me, you know that this is a pretty big accomplishment.

I have never considered myself a runner. I always hated it. I couldn’t run any kind of distance whatsoever and, when I tried, I was miserable. Despite being thin all my life, I simply wasn’t ever in shape.

Then I hit the big 2-5 and realized that I needed to work out to stay healthy and fit. I couldn’t maintain the lifestyle I had lived up to that point because it simply wasn’t a good way to live. While eating fast food and sitting on the couch watching TV rather than eating vegetables and running a 5k initially seemed much more appealing, the change in lifestyle helped me learn that it really wasn’t.

So, I began the Couch to 5k program a few months ago. I started off precisely following the program, but one day decided to push myself a little further and ran for quite some time. I then ebbed and flowed a little bit because the final weeks of my first year of law school kicked in and I didn’t feel like I had the extra time to run. I did, however, make some time for it.

Once I finished my first year, I got right back into it. I didn’t follow the program because I’d gotten to the point where I didn’t know where in the program I should re-start, so I kind of began my own program. And yesterday, I successfully made it the entire 5 kilometers (and a little more)!

I am quite proud of this, and I encourage everyone to try this program. Running is a very good way to release stress, clear your mind, get in shape, and feel better about yourself. Once you set goals and achieve them, it feels so great. So, despite being sore this morning, I am very proud of myself and look forward to continuing this journey.

Maybe one day I’ll make it to a half-marathon! You never know! 

Take care,

--Nan 

Don't draw sad faces on your legal pad!

In my Legal Writing class in law school, we were all required to do oral arguments. An oral argument is an argument spoken by an attorney to an appellate court as to why his or her side should prevail in a case. In this class, our fact pattern required us to speak to Supreme Court Justices (not really, just pretend) and argue for or against religious-based peremptory challenges. I’m not going to go into what those are or even which side I argued for.

After my oral argument was complete and before we received reviews from the Justices, I was upset because I felt that I had done very poorly and would receive a low grade as a result. I had a legal pad and I kept drawing sad faces on it while my opponent spoke. I had determined that my oral argument was sub-par despite hours of preparation for it. I kept drawing sad faces. Over and over.

When review time came around, it turned out that I had done remarkably well! Even though I had become internally flustered, I had maintained my composure and answered questions with clarity and insight. I was thrilled. And shocked. Since I had become so flustered in my mind during my oral argument, I just assumed that it had shown outwardly and that I had done poorly. This simply wasn’t the case. I had done very well.

After the round was over, I went to my Legal Writing professor (who was one of the Justices in my oral argument round) and told her the story about the sad faces on my legal pad. She said something that initially made me laugh, but eventually really resonated with me. She said, “Nan, I don’t know how to make you not you.”

You might be taken aback by that statement, but know that it came from a sincere heart. She was not trying to criticize me, but rather was trying to explain to me that I was too hard on myself. She explained to me that I was a perfectionist and that I couldn’t see my accomplishments because I only focused on the negatives. She told me that I had done well on my oral argument, I am a good student, and I should be more confident in that regard.

I threw those pages from the legal pad away just yesterday. It reminded me that even when things don’t go as planned, they may still be going in the right direction. Don’t be too tough on yourself. Allow yourself to see your accomplishments. Be fair to yourself.  

Take care,

--Nan 

Lemonade?

I was thinking last night of the phrase, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Well, what happens when life gives you lemonade, but you don’t like it? What do you do?

I’ve finally reached a point in my life where I am content. In fact, I am happy. I feel good about where I am in life and where I’m going. I am aware that there will be many more bumps along the way, but I am confident that I can handle them well and move past them.

This isn’t the case for a good friend of mine, who has everything one could ever want in life, yet still feels unsatisfied. She has a good career, a strong family, a loving relationship, great friends, a few hobbies, etc. Basically, she has everything she could ever need and still can’t find happiness. She looks at the lives of others and says, “I want that person’s life.” For her, the grass is always greener.

I’ve been in my friend’s shoes. I’ve felt that sense of discontent and I’ve worried about everything, all the time. I wish I could tell my friend that everything is going to be okay. That this, too, shall pass – because it will.  

I wish I had life-changing advice or suggestions for my friend and for everyone else struggling with similar problems. The best advice I can give is to search your soul and hang in there. Have some faith in yourself and your accomplishments and understand that these feelings are fleeting.

Everyone has problems. No one’s life is perfect, but you can find happiness and contentment despite these imperfections. It’s all a matter of perspective – and that’s something you have to gain on your own.

It's been a while...

It has been nearly a year since I’ve written a post. I had intended create a theme for this blog by writing about my experiences as a first-year law student. When I began orientation, I quickly found that this would not be a good idea. I needed as much time as possible to read and study. When I wasn’t doing that, I needed time to rest and relax. I simply couldn’t put in the time to keep up the narration of my first year of law school.

The past year has been incredible. It has not been easy, but I have learned as much about myself as I have about the law. There have been tears, both of anger and joy. I have struggled, but I have succeeded. So, let me tell you about it…

My first semester consisted of Contracts, Property, Torts, and Legal Writing. It was overwhelming at the beginning, but I got into the swing of things and made the Dean’s List. My second semester consisted of Civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure, Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, and Legal Writing. I found this second semester to be significantly more challenging than the first, but I worked harder than I’ve ever worked and I’m still waiting on grades. I should find out how I did in about a month.

Law school is a different animal. It’s hard to explain. People will tell you that it is horrible, but that’s not true. It made me work hard and long hours. It challenged me. It took me out of my comfort zone and, at times, it made me extremely self-conscious. But it was all worth it.

I am interning at a law firm this summer and working as a research assistant with one of my professors. I also intend to work on this blog. Writing is something I love. One of my goals has always been to become an author. I know that successful blogs have a theme, but I’m not sure what theme (if any) this will have. I plan on writing about my life, things I have learned, am learning, want to do, and ideas I have.

I can tell you that this summer is going to be an adventure and I hope you’ll come along for the ride. 

My current profile picture is an updated picture of Kris and me. And here are some updated pictures of my babies:

 Take care,

--Nan