From the Yld President
| Publication year | 2023 |
| Citation | Vol. 28 No. 6 Pg. 0010 |
| Pages | 0010 |
From the YLD President
If You Put Gravy on It
RONALD EDWARD "RON" DANIELS
YLD President
State Bar of Georgia
ron@danielstaylorlaw.com
If you put gravy on it, he will eat it.[1]
It's the last Friday of the month and I'm on my way home via a (soon-to-be)[2] four lane road staring at an overcast sky. A bright light begins emanating from my dash warning me my fuel level is low. Rapidly the onboard computer begins cutting the projected range down to zero. With a toddler safely confined in the backseat, I realize I am in trouble. I won't make it home. I coast into a station well outside of town where you can only pay inside—cash is preferred—and put $25 dollars into the tank. It's one of those pumps where you have to aggressively cut the pump off yourself to land right on the amount you want to spend. With skill I haven't exercised in years, I pump the exact amount I paid for and made it home.
This is an allegory. Or one of those literary devices.[3] At some point in time we all run out of gas—physically. But we don't run on gas. We do run on energy which requires us to consume food. While food may replenish the energy our body needs to function, we can still be emotionally and mentally exhausted.
Right about now you are wondering, "What does this have to do with gravy?" A lot. Gravy makes me happy. Specifically, my Granny's onion gravy she would make most Sundays with a roast beef she began cooking the night before. I regret never getting her to teach me how to make it. It's the standard by which I judge all other gravy. Gravy both gives me energy and provides me with a level of happiness. Gravy, obviously, isn't a main course. It's just something extra which makes what is already hopefully good tasting even better.
As I reflected back on the last year and the 11 years since I graduated from law school, I kept coming back to food. You are likely thinking, "Surely he has done more than eat, talk about food and write about food." You are correct. But many of my fondest memories are from breaking bread with colleagues, adversaries, judges and clients. From spending hours cooking BBQ for Leadership Academy recently, cooking supper for the YLD officers at my house, to learning important lessons from a mentor over a cup of coffee, food has been a common theme.
Our profession is not an easy one. We take on the stresses of our clients and try to obtain favorable outcomes for them. While it can take a toll on us, the profession is also very rewarding. Through representation of our clients, we get to make a demonstrable impact on the world many can never imagine. Much like the profession, Bar service is not easy. It takes time away from your family, your friends, your other social obligations and your practice; although it is also very rewarding.
But I am tired. Too often I think we forget it's OK to admit we are human—to admit we can't do everything, we need help and we need rest. Even being aware of this, I still don't want to admit I am tired. But I am tired.
Like my car, I am running on fumes. Like my car, I need to...
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