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June 2021
Have the Courage to Follow Your Heart Notes FromThe Field FieldLawPC.com 818-369-7900
Timeless Advice We Can All Use
I’m sure many parents will empathize when I say I often kill time on my iPhone while I wait for my kids, Caleb and Jeanine, to finish their various activities and practices. During one such time, I recently came across a YouTube clip that really jumped out at me. It was a commencement speech, probably at the top of YouTube’s list because we are in graduation season — be it for high school, college, or even preschool. I know most of these important celebrations got canceled last year because of the pandemic. This year, I hope students will be able to participate in graduation ceremonies and celebrate their accomplishments. And believe me, given the last 15 or so months, graduating is quite the accomplishment. Back to that YouTube clip that caught my attention. It was a commencement speech that’s become fairly famous since Steve Jobs gave it at Stanford University in 2005, and it contained the phrase, “Have the courage to follow your heart.” (If you haven’t watched the speech before, I’d recommend it. It has been viewed over 23 million times for a reason.) Now, I know there are no high school or college graduates reading this. In fact, most of the people who receive this newsletter are retired or in the latter season of their careers. So, you may be asking, “What does this have to do with me?” or thinking, “It’s a little late to be following my heart and intuition.” But is it too late?
I think we can all agree that we’re surrounded by a lot of dogma in our world today. Some is not all that new; it’s been around longer than our lifetimes. That includes common refrains like, “I’m too old,” “It’ll take too much time,” “That’s too expensive,” and so on. I have the privilege of having conversations with many of you about traveling, starting a house project, and even talking about selling your home and moving out of state. And sometimes in those conversations, I can see how other people’s thinking and opinions are causing doubt to seep in. But if we let other people’s ideas rule the day, we’re the ones who lose out. There may be reasonable objections to traveling, but one of my clients recently went to Newport for a week and had a blast! Nope, it wasn’t Hawaii or Italy, but still, it was something. Another client is thinking about buying a motor home and traveling. Perfect! They’ll definitely have an adventure. A third client sold their home and moved out of state, and they’re thrilled. Each of these clients had the courage to follow their hearts, and it paid off by enriching their lives. What’s your heart telling you to do? Maybe it’s simply telling you to go out to dinner with friends, as that’s something a lot of us haven’t done in a while. (And yes, wear a mask.) Whatever it is, you have a lot of life to live, so I hope you’ll do it!
I’ll answer that question for you: “No!”
We tend to think that the advice contained in commencement speeches applies to young people who have their whole lives ahead of them. As we get older, we don’t think this advice is relevant to us. But I want to encourage you to think about the fact that the vast majority of us do have a whole lot of living left to do. And Steve Jobs’ advice to “have the courage to follow your heart” is just as useful for those embarking on retirement as it is for those embarking on their next steps after college.
Here is more of what Steve Jobs said:
“Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking and opinions. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become … Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”
Stay hungry and stay foolish, but above all else follow your heart,
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The Super Benefits of Yoga
June 21 is International Yoga Day, which makes it a great time of year to talk about the unique benefits of yoga — the “superfood” of fitness. As a mixture of exercise and mindfulness, yoga is not only challenging but also has myriad health benefits. Many people assume yoga is mainly useful for increasing your flexibility. However, it’s also excellent for further developing your strength, mobility, and balance. These can be key benefits for living a healthier lifestyle, whether you’re an athlete or concerned about aging.
Multiple studies agree: Yoga can significantly decrease the secretion of cortisol, the primary stress hormone. In one study, 64 women with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) participated in a 10-week program, performing yoga at least once a week. By the end of the 10 weeks, 52% of participants no longer met the criteria for PTSD at all. As with starting any new hobby or regular exercise, it may help to set clear goals for yourself. By doing yoga regularly, there are several physical improvements you can look forward to, such as:
• Improved range of motion or ease of movement
Kaitlyn Hochart, a yoga instructor from San Diego, California, writes on Healthline, “During yoga, your body goes through a full range and variety of motion that can counteract aches and pains associated with tension or poor postural habits.” Yoga can help you become more aware of these habits, “[allowing] you to fix these imbalances and improve overall athleticism.” Many forms of exercise are useful against depression and cardiovascular disease, but in yoga’s case, you don’t have to break a sweat to start benefiting from its stress-relieving properties. “The breathing exercises you practice during yoga can help lower your heart rate and shift your nervous system into a more relaxed state. It also promotes better sleep and increased focus,” Hochart writes.
• A reduction in pain, discomfort, or other symptoms
• An increase in physical strength and endurance
• Less weight fluctuation
• Changes in the way your clothes fit
• Better-quality sleeping habits and increased or stabilized energy levels One of the best qualities of yoga is that you can be of any age or fitness level. So, pull up a YouTube video, find a soft surface, and give it a try!
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However, more restrictions have come up. In Miller v. California (1973), the U.S. Supreme Court found that the First Amendment’s freedom of speech doesn’t apply to obscenity.
How does the court define obscenity? There are three things they’ll take into account:
1. Will the average person (applying contemporary “community standards”) find the work appealing to the overly sexual interests?
2. Does the work depict or describe, in an offensive way, sexual conduct or excretory functions as defined by state law?
3. Does the work, when taken as a whole, lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value?
deletes a post, these actions don’t count as violations of free speech. Could that change?
Certain types of hate speech are legal, so long as they don’t incite violence and cannot be categorized as obscenity as described above. But what about more ordinary political opinions? Can those be legally censored?
According to legal experts, the big question now is how to treat large social media platforms. Clay Calvert, professor of law at the Levin College of Law, asks, “Should we treat them differently and regulate them more closely? Have we reached that stage where we need antitrust litigation, perhaps, and say they have such powerful platforms, they’re like near-monopolies that we should do some trust-busting and break them up?”
The First Amendment’s Boundary
Corporate censorship and censorship by private entities are legal because the First Amendment only applies to government censorship. That’s why when Twitter bans an account or Facebook
Would it be a good idea for the First Amendment to apply to private entities? We’ll leave that to the future debates that are sure to come.
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TAKE A BREAK
ARE GROCERY SUBSCRIPTION BOXES WORTH IT?
June is National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month, so let’s explore one popular way to get more fresh produce into our lives: subscription-based delivery services like Full Circle and Imperfect Food. Are these services actually worth it? Do they save money and provide what they promise? Here’s what the research turned up. Can they save you time? The Verdict: Yes, without a doubt. Subscription-based grocery delivery services appeal to consumers because they save time. With somebody else doing your grocery shopping, you don’t have to think about when you’re making a trip to the grocery store this week. Someone else is doing it for you! Plus, some services even offer meal kits if you can’t decide what to make. There’s no argument here — these services definitely save you time. Can they save you money? The Verdict: Sometimes, since it depends on your existing shopping habits. If you find yourself making impulsive purchases while strolling down the aisles at the grocery store, then a set (but customizable) weekly list of delivered groceries might be a great way to stick to your budget. Unfortunately, not many grocery subscription-box delivery services offer nonfood items like toilet paper or cleaning products, so you may still have to make a trip to the store every once in a while. Is the food quality great? The Verdict: Yes, but it depends on your area. You have a higher chance of getting better grocery items if you buy from an organic grocery box service, like Imperfect Foods or Farm Fresh to You, since these companies work closely with your local farms. Keep in mind that some services, like Imperfect Foods, are designed to deliver fresh foods that are a little “imperfect” in size, shape, or color to help prevent food waste — but, as a benefit, it’s more affordable! However, we’ve found some services, like Full Circle, will prepackage their boxes from warehouses that may not be local to you, so do a little research before picking one. All in all, we’ve been pleasantly surprised to find that these boxes aren’t such a bad idea. Consider looking into it if you’re tired of the weekly grocery store time crunch!
GRILLED CHICKEN SHAWARMA
Inspired by FeastingAtHome.com
A spice-filled marinade and time do all the work in this recipe that features Middle Eastern flavors.
Ingredients
• 2 tbsp ground coriander • 2 tsp kosher salt • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper • 2 tsp turmeric • 1 tsp ground ginger • 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp allspice • 8 garlic cloves, minced • 6 tbsp olive oil • 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Directions
1. To create marinade, whisk all spices with the garlic and olive oil in a medium bowl. 2. Add chicken to the bowl, coat well with marinade, cover, and let sit in the fridge for at least 20 minutes — or up to 48 hours. Strain off excess marinade before cooking. 3. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Grill thighs for 10–12 minutes
on each side, or until a meat thermometer reads 165 F. 4. Serve with rice, vegetables, or pita bread with tzatziki.
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Have the Courage to Follow Your Heart
1
The Super Benefits of Yoga
2
Grilled Chicken Shawarma Are Grocery Subscription Boxes Worth It?
3
Legally Speaking, What Is Censorship?
4
Legally Speaking, What Is Censorship? A Brief Dive Into the First Amendment
The Freedom to Speak — Without Obscenity or Inciting Violence
The First Amendment has been the centerpiece of a contentious debate about what can legally be posted (and deleted) on social media like Twitter and Facebook. But before we can define “censorship,” we need to know what is defined as “free speech.” What exactly does the First Amendment say about free speech? What are the boundaries for what people can and cannot do?
The First Amendment covers the freedom of speech, press, and religion. It’s arguably one of the most fundamental amendments to American democracy, but its interpretations can vary significantly. This is how the full First Amendment reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Why is it that the Ku Klux Klan and Westboro Baptist Church have gotten into legal trouble for expressing their opinions? Their groups often promote acts of violence against another group, which violates the “peaceably” qualifier to the people’s right to assemble.
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