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Fierce Protectors of the Injured
FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT How Positivity Affects Your Life Without Your Realizing It
Social media and texting can make people feel closer when they’re far apart yet farther apart when they’re right next to each other. Staying positive about yourself and the people around you is harder when you’re not as connected with others. I’ve had a lot of people in my life who have influenced me — God first and Regina, my wife, second. I grew up in a household of powerful single women who trained me to be a leader and fighter, and Regina is the toughest of all and my ongoing trainer who keeps me grounded. She proved doctors wrong when they told her she’d need lifelong medication for her lupus and even overcame death itself in an event that changed my life. (That story will need a newsletter of its own.) She proves to me that you don’t need anything except to care about other people. I’ll turn around while we’re in the grocery store to see she’s already started a conversation with a stranger and showing pictures of her grandsons and pets. It’s not intentional, either! She’s just the type to walk into a room and make everyone smile, even people she’s never met. That amazes me every single day, but she doesn’t think about it at all. Maybe that was the problem, which I managed to completely avoid up until that conversation with my law school dean. When you think about it, I had to be crazy to be a full-time law enforcement officer, teach karate, go to law school, be a security officer, and have a family at the same time. A lot of the time I’ve spent with my family might be considered unusual; both of my girls started learning martial arts at 5 years old, and we bonded through our work. I continued to practice law and be a law enforcement officer at the same time, even for five years after graduating law school while running two successful karate schools.
I used to have days where I had to show up to my law school classes in my police or SWAT uniform, depending. I was so busy I often didn’t have time to change! Of course, my peers harassed me, but I could handle it. However, it wasn’t until the dean called me into his office that I realized how busy I really was. It was right after a national story broke, and I was featured as one of the snipers in one of the stories. But that didn’t prepare me for what the dean of my law school said outright: “Sevenish, what’s wrong with you?”
As if knowing this, I said as much to him. “Sir, I don’t know any better. If I don’t know any better, then there’s no other course of action that makes sense to me,” I explained. But there was something else, too. I don’t think having hope or positivity is exclusive to characters in movies or “naturally” happy people; even they will tell you that. It’s in the breath of a warrior, the grace of a kind heart, and the force of nature that pushes people to accomplish what they do every single day. It’s not always something they think about, and when they do, sometimes it seems a little crazy. Over my past 35 years of practicing law, I’ve noticed that injury law cases are getting more and more complex, and even the state of our nation seems to be the same way. That’s why we started up a brand-new newsletter again, and I hope to give you a little bit of law and a lot of everything else. Do something a little crazy this month, friends. Smile at a stranger and give a little love to yourself for everything you do and for others.
“Sir, what do you mean?” I asked, worried.
“This is my understanding,” he started firmly. “You work full time at the sheriff’s department as a captain. In addition, you’re on call 24/7 for SWAT as its commander. And you’re in our evening law school program, yet you’re teaching karate part-time as well — and, in the complex where you live, you’re the live-in security officer.” We blinked at each other. He asked me, worried: “How do you do all this? Are you alright?” I wasn’t fresh out of high school like most of my fellow law students. I was already 31, with nearly 10 years of law enforcement experience at the time. I had a family made up of my wife and two young daughters. Man — the more I think about it, the busier I really was.
–Randall “Randy” Sevenish
These days, keeping your head up above water can be really tough for many people.
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THE IMPORTANCE OF INSURANCE Why Indiana’s Minimum Policy Isn’t Enough At Sevenish Law, we are known as “Fierce Protectors of the Injured, ” and to us, this is much more than just a label. We feel that we must also be educators on insurance to help protect you and others before an accident. In the field of accident and injury law, one unfortunate trend we’re seeing is that many at-fault drivers only carry the minimum liability limit, or even worse, are uninsured drivers (unless they’re driving a commercial vehicle). When you carry only the state-minimum or no liability coverage, your insurance payout will often be insufficient to help you through your injury case. To avoid this, you must take it upon yourself to carry adequate coverage, not the minimum or close to it. Since the vast majority of accidents are caused by individuals and not corporations, chances are the wrongdoer will either be uninsured or only have minimum coverage, which often means they’re underinsured. As such, we strongly recommend people carry adequate liability limits and also uninsured (UM) and underinsured (UIM) coverage. Buying these coverages ahead of time can protect you and your family when you are at-fault and also when an uninsured or underinsured driver injures you or your family. Don’t assume it won’t happen to you or a family member. You will regret it! Why? Well, imagine that you or your family members are involved in a crash and you only have liability coverage. You may be covered if you’re at fault, but only up to a certain amount. You could be financially responsible for any damages above your chosen coverage. This could be even worse if you or your family is involved in a serious crash caused by an uninsured/underinsured motorist. If you’re insured, you are bound to the wrongdoer’s liability limits. If you carried UIM coverage and the crash warranted it, your UIM coverage could help cover additional expenses, but only up to your chosen limits and only after subtracting the liability limits first. If the motorist is uninsured, you can file a UM claim with your own company but only up to your chosen limits of coverage. As you can see, this can get very confusing, but seeking advice from an experienced and trusted accident and injury lawyer will help you through the personal injury maze. We’ll help you avoid the traps set by claims adjusters. They often don’t have your best interests in mind — even those with your own company, believe it or not. We represent many people who have been struck by lightning twice, so to speak. The client who gave me that analogy was involved in two separate car injury cases only six months apart. He’s a prominent local physician, and the first time we met, I was very adamant about one thing to protect him in the future. I told him, “You need to increase your overall liability, uninsured, and underinsured coverage to protect you and your family should this ever happen again.” I recommended coverage to him and he agreed to update his policies. Six months later, this doctor had another severe accident and admitted he did not upgrade his policies based on my suggestions, and when I asked why, he said, “I didn’t think lightning would strike twice.” Please, friends — if you haven’t thought about expanding your insurance coverage, we want to encourage you to do so! Call our office if you have any questions or need any guidance and, as always, we are “ready to listen and ready to serve.” This is our culture and an example of the “Sevenish Law Difference.” We’ll have much more on this most important subject in future issues.
1 BOOK, 2 BOOK Who Was Theodor Geisel? On March 2, Read Across America Day is celebrated by students, teachers, and community members in towns throughout the country. They chose that date to pay homage to one of the most beloved children’s authors who was born that day: Theodor Geisel. That name may sound unfamiliar to you, but “Dr. Seuss” should ring a few bells.
His name alone is so associated with literacy that in 2007, the author of an article in U.S. News & World Report that chronicled the history of 1957 — the year “The Cat in the Hat” was published — wrote, “Greece had Zeus — America has Seuss.” In 2001, Publisher’s Weekly released a list of the bestselling hardcover children’s books of all time in the U.S. Of the books in the top 100, Seuss authored 16, which is more than any other author on the list by a long shot. But Seuss did not break into the children’s literature industry easily. Seuss and his nearly 50 children’s books almost never got off the ground. His first children’s book, “And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” was denied by more than a dozen publishers. Legend has it that Seuss was on his way home to burn the manuscript when he ran into an old friend who suggested another publisher. The rest is history.
Given the enthusiasm for reading that Dr. Seuss has fostered in children for the past eight decades, it’s no wonder the National Education Association chose his birthday to mark a day to celebrate reading. After all, he’s often quoted as saying, “You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read with a child.”
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SENSEI SAYS ... How to Select a Martial Arts School for Your Kid In many circles, I am known as “Sensei” and karate master. I have taught martial arts to hundreds of police and civilians. I frequently get questions from others who know of my background asking me how to choose their child’s first dojo since mine are closed. Beyond my personal experience, studies on stress and anxiety disorders agree that martial arts can “increase the sense of security and confidence, develop the ability to control anger, self-control, self-discipline, or self-defense” and have a significant impact on psychological and physical well-being. I mentioned in our front page article that social media can make people feel farther apart, even if they’re nearby. The same is true between your child and your karate instructor. A karate school can have an amazing social media page, but that can really only tell you half the story. After decades of experience, from police academies to dojos, I think I can say there’s no better testament to your trust in an instructor than watching your child’s introductory lesson at three different locations at minimum. I believe the dynamics and positive interaction observed between your child and their instructor is telling. I’ll tell you a story. One time, a child and his mother were rushing into the dojo — his Gi (uniform) was a bit jacked up, and his belt wasn’t tied properly during the hurry. So, he gets in position and starts practicing with the class. In the middle of an exercise, his belt falls off. He looks at me, eye wide and terrified.
There’s another thing to keep in mind. Be wary of the schools in the business of “selling belts” and promotions all for the sake of money. Also be careful about a Sensei in their 20s or even 30s claiming to have a high degree or calling themselves “Master” when they have not been on the planet long enough to have earned such a rank and title. You want a school with a real black belt instructor who has a proven track record and is a leader of people. You want to choose a school wherein you or your child “earn” a promotion rather than them having an expectation of phony advancement just because they pay money. There is so much more I could add to this (and I will in future issues). I wish you best of luck on your child’s journey into martial arts! Tell us all about it the next time you’re in the office or shoot me an email. Remember the importance of earning a belt and the lifelong lesson that goes with it. At my dojos, those few who were promoted to black belt earned it. That was our culture. Even then, when I presented them with their degree black belt, imagine their confusion when I would say “Congratulations, you are now in first grade; you have only proven that you have the ability to learn, and now your real journey begins.” The path up the mountain is steep. If it is not steep, it is not a mountain. Now think about that and how it applies to life!
I gave him a typical Sensei scowl at first. Then, I relaxed, laughed, and said it’s okay.
Kids should feel motivated to learn and get better. They shouldn’t be villainized by their instructors.
Brain WORK!
HAVE YOU HEARD the Good News? Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
BUNNY DAISY EARTH EASTER
EGGS FOOL GARDEN PASSOVER POLLEN PRANK RAMADAN TAXES
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Inside THIS ISSUE Fighting the Good Fight Page 1 Celebrate Dr. Seuss The Importance of Insurance Page 2
How to Select a Martial Arts School Page 3 Technology Saves the Day Page 4
HOW TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY
While Following Social Distancing Guidelines
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are encouraging communities across the U.S. to practice social distancing. While this will help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, or COVID-19, it also means that social interactions will be minimal. In addition to impeding many industries and businesses, this has significant impacts on families and friends who can no longer visit each other in person. Luckily, the technology we have today allows us to stay in touch while still practicing social responsibility. SPRUCE UP EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES. Hopping on the phone or your laptop to video chat is a great way to reach out and catch up with loved ones. While folding laundry or doing other mundane chores, give a friend or your parents a call to idly chat; it can make your tedious tasks much more enjoyable. Video calls are also beneficial if, for example, you’re missing out on your daily workouts with a friend. Hop on a video chat to practice yoga, cardio, or other simple exercise routines together.
while school and other activities are canceled. Letting your kids connect to social media is a pretty big step, so consider signing them up for Yoursphere or Kidzworld, kid-friendly networks that let them keep in touch with their friends while you can monitor their activity. Get in touch with other parents to set up virtual play dates over video chats for your kids. They can even watch a movie or TV show together. HOST A MOVIE NIGHT. Speaking of movies, Netflix developed a unique way for people to watch movies and shows together: Netflix Party. If you have a desktop or laptop with a Chrome browser, visit NetflixParty.com to download the application. Once downloaded, open the movie or TV series you’d like to watch, create or join a “party,” then relax and enjoy the show while chatting with friends. These are only a few examples of how we can stay in touch during these concerning times. Talk with your family and friends and see what other creative ideas you can come up with together. Even though you may be apart from loved ones right now, virtual communication has never been easier or more plentiful.
LET YOUR KIDS CHAT WITH FRIENDS. Kids can benefit from video chatting by staying in touch with their friends
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