In the course of applying to law school, I had to write many essays. Each came with it's own restrictions. This essay was only afforded 500 words. Despite it's short length, it remains one of my favorites.
Written by Rio Denali
You ask about the most important lesson I have learned in the past 10 years? Well, If you want to give me a little more leeway—say 15 years—I could dazzle you with fantastic experiences, each of which was a lesson in it’s own right. I have hung over the extended rear-ramp of a Chinook helicopter in-flight, was assigned to a 128’ Army tugboat in the Puget Sound, and was chased through the streets of Panama during a military deployment. I could write a firsthand account about the architectural and cultural differences between eastern and western Europe, and the toll an ineffective governmental regime can take on a country. I would tell you how making friends with an older German man—one who told me stories about being a 14-year-old running from the American soldiers at the end of WWII, certain he would be killed if captured--changed my perspective on war; opening my eyes to it’s brutal effects on children. My military and life adventures have taken me around the globe. I have met incredible people along the way, some of whom have changed the way I see the world.However, for the last 10 years I have devoted myself to raising children. While it does not make for the same excitement, the most important lessons of my life have come from my time as a parent. For example: sometimes a Superman costume is brilliant attire for the grocery store.
Compromise and negotiation are art forms taught to perfection in the boot camp of parenthood. There are battles that must be won at all costs: “Do not touch the stove.” “Look both ways before you cross the street.” “Do not put your brother in the clothes dryer.” Then, there are the other battles--the battles that are forgotten about the next day, over things that in the “grand scheme of things” really mean very little. Compromise is a matter of setting priorities and choosing your battles wisely. Not all battles are equal and if you approach every point of contention with the same heightened intensity, you will exhaust yourself and ultimately lose authority. While I still stand my ground against the girls curling our golden retriever’s hair with a curling iron, I have learned the value of negotiation when it comes to allowing a toddler to wear a Spiderman costume to the grocery store in exchange for eating vegetables at lunchtime.
“What does this have to do with law?”, you are surely asking yourself by now. Well, it is simple. Few cases actually make it to trial. In law, settlement is king—and settlements are only reached through the art of negotiation and compromise. My experience of parenting a large family provides me with years of expertise in this area. Seriously, who is better qualified to successfully negotiate a compromise than a woman who can get a toddler to eat vegetables? Speaking of vegetables, I must be going now—it’s time to take Spiderman to the grocery store.
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- This article was originally featured on RioDancesOnTheSand.com, a blog for the thinking person... Written by Rio Denali, a 30-something with peculiar curiosities, who makes the observations that many of us avoid. Full of useful links and entertaining articles, it is a fun favorite for the intelligent reader. For more great articles like this, please visit RioDancesOnTheSand.com.
