So, last week, I wrote about the importance of saying thank you , and noted that I’d be starting a Thank You Thursday column, open to readers who want to thank someone who’s made a difference in their life. The first installment comes from business and estate planning lawyer, Paula Schaefer:
In 1997, I worked in city government, a position that I generally enjoyed. At that time, a 77-year old part-time administrative assistant Lorraine Foster worked in my office. She was a rather sharp-tongued woman who was comfortable speaking her mind. One day she lectured me that I was lucky to be a young woman at that time in history. I was flattered (because I was 42 at the time and no longer considered myself “a young woman.”)
Lorraine’s parents had the financial means to pay for her college; however they would do so only if she went to nursing school or became a teacher. She wasn’t interested in either profession so went to work instead. She had guts! She worked in the U.S. Navy and later became the right hand for a successful CPA. At 77, she was still working in order to keep her mind sharp; she had always dreamed of studying accounting and becoming a CPA. Lorraine regretted that she had not done so.
I went home that night and thought that I did not want to be 77 years old and living a life regretting that I had not studied law. I was the 3rd oldest student in my first year law class and frequently older than my law professors. I’ve had a few law jobs, some great, some not so great, and am now officially soloing. It’s been a challenge and often scary, but I will not be 77 and saying coulda, woulda, shoulda.
Thanks Lorraine Foster!
Related posts:
- Ten Ways to Get Motivated
- Should You Sue or Start Fresh When You Start a Law Firm?
- How Your World Opens Wide When You Start Your Own Law Firm
- If I solo out of school, do I pick the cheaper law school?
- Would You Advise Your Child to Take on $150k in Debt to Go to Law School?
