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Jan. 23rd, 2009
They also serve . . .
Jan. 23rd, 2009 03:11 pmI asked an attorney to sign a couple pleadings today as he was passing by my desk; they had been prepared by one of the associates for whom I work, who said we'd be filing them in federal court today. The attorney told me that he was still working on the related brief, and wasn't sure it would go out today, but that he'd get back to me.
"That's okay, I'll be here," I said as he walked away from my desk. "They also serve who only stand and wait."
And then it occurred to me: how many legal secretaries routinely quote Milton in their day-to-day working lives?
I looked up that particular sonnet, which I hadn't read in several years, although I do often quote that line. I had forgotten how closely it tracks a problem I have often thought and written about. Milton was speaking of his blindness, and I was speaking of writers block, but we both suffered from the same result, the gnawing feeling that God would call us to account for not using the talent He had given us. Given that Milton so clearly understood how I feel, I find the conclusion of the poem deeply comforting, which is probably why I have remembered it and quoted it so often.
Tell me a line of poetry (or perhaps a song lyric) you often quote to people in your daily life. What poem is it from, and why does it speak to you so strongly?
"That's okay, I'll be here," I said as he walked away from my desk. "They also serve who only stand and wait."
And then it occurred to me: how many legal secretaries routinely quote Milton in their day-to-day working lives?
I looked up that particular sonnet, which I hadn't read in several years, although I do often quote that line. I had forgotten how closely it tracks a problem I have often thought and written about. Milton was speaking of his blindness, and I was speaking of writers block, but we both suffered from the same result, the gnawing feeling that God would call us to account for not using the talent He had given us. Given that Milton so clearly understood how I feel, I find the conclusion of the poem deeply comforting, which is probably why I have remembered it and quoted it so often.
Tell me a line of poetry (or perhaps a song lyric) you often quote to people in your daily life. What poem is it from, and why does it speak to you so strongly?
Another business bites the dust
Jan. 23rd, 2009 08:04 pmI decided to splurge and actually eat dinner out tonight. I ate at the Birchwood Cafe, always a favorite place, and although the dinner was very modest and healthy (a small cup of turkey/azuki bean chili and a deli serving of broccoli/peanut salad), it was entirely satisfying. Eating out, even a meal that cost under $8, feels like a big deal, given our financial situation. And I had graphic proof tonight that those little day to day decisions I make, along with everyone else, is having a ripple effect.
After finishing dinner, I thought I'd get a dessert, too. I'm trying to really cut back on my intake of refined sugar, but figured I could allow myself a dessert once a week on Fridays, my traditional night out (even though I haven't been going out much lately). The Birchwood has excellent desserts, but by that point the line up for the cashier was very long, and I decided to swing by the Cliquot Club on my way home--it's on the way, and they have good desserts, too.
Or they did. The doors were shut and the lights out. I got out of my car and went to read the notice on the door, which was an announcement by the owners that this neighborhood restaurant/bistro, which opened three years ago, was forced to close for good, due to the economy.
It makes me so sad. So many people, losing their jobs, giving up the hopeful dreams they had when they launched new businesses, now viciously undercut by the tanking economy.
( What I did today to make the world a better place )
After finishing dinner, I thought I'd get a dessert, too. I'm trying to really cut back on my intake of refined sugar, but figured I could allow myself a dessert once a week on Fridays, my traditional night out (even though I haven't been going out much lately). The Birchwood has excellent desserts, but by that point the line up for the cashier was very long, and I decided to swing by the Cliquot Club on my way home--it's on the way, and they have good desserts, too.
Or they did. The doors were shut and the lights out. I got out of my car and went to read the notice on the door, which was an announcement by the owners that this neighborhood restaurant/bistro, which opened three years ago, was forced to close for good, due to the economy.
It makes me so sad. So many people, losing their jobs, giving up the hopeful dreams they had when they launched new businesses, now viciously undercut by the tanking economy.
( What I did today to make the world a better place )