what the day brings

We are meeting again in Room 102, for another day of studying Remedies.  We're a somewhat eclectic and fluid mix.  Some people are here only occasionally, others are regulars.  We would never know each other were it not for this common experience of law school.  But having spent the last 4 years together, we've seen each other often enough to have developed some level of ease with each other.  I wouldn't call any of these people a friend, in the sense that I would share private thoughts or happenings with them.  But we are the survivors of the initial group, plus a few others and so while we are not all intimates, we do have a shared history that matters a great deal to me.

None of them are early morning people, so I'm here with my coffee and outline, hashing through more details on my own as I await the others.  I think that the core of the group is the three women who call themselves 'three peas in a pod.'  I'm an interloper, although welcomed, I am not one of them, and never will be.  I'm happy to see them enjoy each other so much, but feel no desire to do what it would take to join.  I am pretty sure I'm seen as a bit overwhelming sometimes, and of course, that's not altogether wrong.  I reminded myself of that just yesterday and promised myself that today I would remember to dial it back a notch or two.

In spite of being somewhat sterile and stark, these classrooms have become a familiar and welcoming place by now.  When I enter, I feel a sense of something like the way it feels to step into my house and slip off my shoes, drop my bags and exhale.  Not to fear, I generally keep my shoes on here.

The poster on the wall in this classroom says "You cannot discover other oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore."  Motivational posters and quotes abound, and while of course they can be overdone, I can't say this one didn't grab me this morning.  I would have preferred to know where I am going when I leave my current place, but it is not to be.  Part of me knows this opens up far more possibilities and part of me just wants to know.