Ode to the Simple Pleasures

By Brittney, 2D

Winter break is one of the lesser-mentioned pleasures of law school. It is a glorious month with no assignments or obligations between fall and spring semester. Some of my classmates are taking vacations to interesting places like Peru and London; while others are heading to their respective home states to catch up with loved ones. I am spending this winter break here in Los Angeles paying tribute to life’s simple pleasures that tend to take a backseat during the semester.

Everyday I get to wake up the sun shining through my windows. I get to attend my favorite aerobic instructor’s classes and even arrive early enough to get my favorite spot. I have been taking full advantage of Amazon Prime Instant Video and finally figured out how to get the sound to come out of my TV instead of my computer. Hobbies that had become mere talking points on a resume, become hobbies once more.

My selfish indulgences are pleasantly interrupted by the holiday’s reunion of friends and family. The priceless conversations with family will give me the laughter and warmth I need to fuel my spring. One little brother asks me skeptically why I’m not studying like I was during Thanksgiving. Another little brother attempts to analogize the high stress and workload of high school with law school. And let’s not forget the reassurances…reassuring my mother that I’m eating well, reassuring my grandfather that I’m exercising regularly, reassuring my great grandmother that I’m saying my prayers daily, and reassuring my uncle that I will have a job after I graduate.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I must admit that it is also nice to have some free time to work on some things for school. As much law school and becoming an attorney is the last thing on my mind after my last final, a few days of down time gives me time to remember how close I am to achieving my dreams. This prompts some final edits on my writing sample, additional (never-ending) fine-tuning of my resume and the ambition of getting a head start on my note for law review.

Now, back to some guilt-free TV watching.