Doing Life

I know there’s not an award for doing life but I’m feeling good about how I did life today—

Words from my daughter in the midst of transitioning from college life to life life.

My response,

--if ever there were an award needed, it’s for doing life.

“Doing Life” is sometimes hard. And for every time a person continues to do it, continues to participate in this thing labeled life, there should be an award.

So maybe the kids’ teams handing out awards to all participants not just the “stars” or the “winning team” were onto something. There’s grousing about that’s not how it is in life so we shouldn’t set kids up for later disappointment, because not everyone gets an award, not everyone wins; that doesn’t happen in life life.

But think about those soccer kids, right? On the field early Saturday morning… in the rain… in the cold. Maybe Johnny isn’t the greatest player, but he’s still out there playing. He’s still persevering. Give him a darn award I say. And while we’re at it, the parents too. Standing on the sidelines early every Saturday (not to mention the weekly practices). And when it could be ohhhh so easy to stay in bed. (Side note: I couldn’t have been happier when my daughter’s passion transported us from the sidelines of a soccer field to the comfy seats of an indoor theatre).

The point of all of this is that we shouldn’t minimize what it takes to do life. We all need a pat on the back. We all need to take pride in our ability to continue to participate. Proud of our ability to get out of bed and step back on the field day after day after day—no matter the conditions. Slogging through the mud, slipping, falling or sprinting down the field with sunshine on our faces. However you got through the day—walking, running, skipping, crawling, stumbling—you got through it. You made it. You’re doing life life. And for that—and it’s a big that—give yourself a darn award I say.

Patricia Nemeth received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor). She earned her Juris Doctorate and Masters of Labor Law degree from Wayne State University School of Law. She is the founding partner of Nemeth Law, P.C. which celebrated its 25th Anniversary in 2017. Patricia decided to start a personal blog because she wanted to write about topics other than the law.