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AUGUST 2020
A s an Eagle Scout, my son John went on many adventure trips, including hiking over 100 miles through Philmont. The Scouts also helped him discover his love of rock climbing, and he used the money from his first job to pay for a membership to a rock-climbing gym. When a group of buddies from the Scouts invited him to join them on a mountain climbing trip, he bought the equipment and gear and went with them. Since then, John has climbed Mount St. Helen and Mount Adams, both in Washington state, and South Sister in Oregon. His brother Zachary also hiked in Philmont as a Scout and climbed Mt. Baldy there. At 12,000-plus feet of elevation, it’s nothing to laugh at. While they may be the only family members who’ve physically climbed mountains, we’ve all climbed some of our own, even if they’re more of the symbolic kind. Going to law school in a different state than where we lived, with four kids, was a mountain all its own. Getting a divorce after law school, trying to find a job after the 2008 recession, then working as a single mom all felt like their own mountains. Of course, building your own firm is a constant mountain to scale, with new challenges every day. So, how do you climb mountains like these? Ones that aren’t found in nature, but in your everyday life? So much of it is a matter of mindset. You have to take steps right after the other to reach the top. It’s the same as building a business — you have to show up and take action every day. But it doesn’t have to be a massive action every day. John didn’t run up the mountain, it was a very slow hike. But if you stop putting one foot in front of the other, you stop growing. Some days you have to take bigger steps than others, but the big thing is taking some sort of action every day. KEEP TAKING STEPS, MOVING FORWARD, AND LOOKING FOR THE GOOD THE MOUNTAIN CLIMBER’S MINDSET
taking action that doesn’t move you forward. For example, if I answered every phone call instead of letting Zach answer it, I would be taking action, but it wouldn’t be helping my firm grow. Recognize that your energy isn’t limitless and that it’s important to protect it. When I was in an auto accident in 2011, I knew how to work the case. It was all I’d been doing for the last decade. But I was too close to my own case to have proper perspective. I didn’t want to interrupt the flow of working with my clients to address the emotional drain of my own case. In the end, I got outside counsel to handle my matters so I could be freed up to focus on my clients. Protect your energy by focusing on what’s going right. You’ll feel so much better. When Dave was temporarily laid off because of COVID-19, he went from working all the time to being at home all the time, and he was digesting so much news that all he saw were the things going on wrong. You have to limit your exposure to this type of negativity. With the protests that have been going on, there are a lot of hurt feelings on all sides, but there’s also good to be seen. Black-owned businesses are getting more publicity, and people are starting to rethink their mindset and look at the role they may be playing in contributing to the problem. My advice for tackling any challenge, whether it’s a 12,000-foot mountain or a life change, is to learn to be grateful, look for the good, and take action every day. Keep these three things in mind, and you’ll get to the top, however that looks for you.
You also have to prioritize. Some actions have more bang for their buck than others, and if you don’t prioritize properly, you can spend an awful lot of time
-Melissa Emery
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HELP YOUR KIDS HANDLE STRESSFUL SITUATIONS
WITH THESE SENSORY- RICH ACTIVITIES
Here are some sensory-rich activities that can help kids feel calmer in stressful times:
You can see it happening, almost in slow motion: Your child goes from playing and laughing to frowning in less than a second. They start to cry, and suddenly, a meltdown is underway. Is this just the way raising young kids is? Does a lack of sleep, change in routine, or intense hunger always have to lead to a meltdown? While it’s human to feel emotions and express them, you can use certain strategies to help your child navigate major emotions and calm down. The key is helping them tap into their central nervous system with activities that engage their senses. Just like adults, younger kids sometimes need support to regulate their emotions, especially in situations that are stressful for them. That’s where activities that engage the five senses can be really beneficial. Sensory activities that utilize the five senses can help your little one connect their body to their immediate surroundings and the larger world around them.
• Make a pile of pillows and jump into it. • Put on some fun music and dance. • Bounce your little one on your lap or an exercise ball. • Take them for a spin around the house in a box or laundry basket; kids can even race each other. • Create a slide by propping a mattress or exercise mat against the couch. These are activities you can use right where you are to help your child find their calm again, even in a meltdown. According to early childhood development expert Alyssa Blask Campbell, sensory input stays in the system for about two hours, meaning even just five minutes of these types of activities can give you and your child hours of calm throughout the day.
APPLY THESE 5 LESSONS TO EASE STRESS AFTER AN ACCIDENT THE RIGHT MINDSET MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE
call us again. We don’t mind — really. If we can alleviate your stress by having answers and being able to reassure you again, we are more than happy to do it.
3. Focus on getting better instead of being angry. It’s really easy to be angry at the person who caused damage to your car and to your body and who scared you and your children. It’s a natural way to feel. But if you focus on improving yourself — getting to the doctor and going to physical therapy — you’re going to put that energy to such better use. Try to focus on the good, on the positive improvements you’re making. 4. Tune into inspiring messages. To help with a positive mindset, there are plenty of motivational speakers out there to tune in to. We’re big Tony Robbins fans around here. Find something that works for you. Like your body, your mind needs healthy input; it can’t get by on junk food alone. 5. Don’t worry; be proactive. If something is stressing you out, take action. Maybe it means passing it off to your attorney. A lot of stress can be alleviated with action. If you’re not sure where to turn, reach out to us. Many of these strategies are just as applicable to everyday life as they are to coping with the aftermath of an auto accident. You’ll always feel better when you’ve dealt with something, even when dealing with it means delegating it to your attorney. That’s what we’re here for — make sure you’re utilizing us.
Here’s what we want every person who’s going through the aftermath of an auto accident to know: Whatever is stressing you out right now, you don’t have to take care of it all on your own. Here are five pieces of advice we give people going through this process to help them get in the right mindset. 1. You’ve hired an attorney, so let them do the worrying for you. When you have to deal with insurance, hand that over to your attorney. You’ve hired them for a reason. Let your legal team do their job and let them take over the stressful calls to insurance and all the details you’re paying them for. 2. Ask your lawyer any questions you have (even if you’ve already asked once). If you have questions, even if we’ve answered them five times before, we don’t mind answering them again. It’s okay to
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THE MOVIE TO WATCH THIS SUMMER ‘Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption’
FROZEN PB&J BITES
S ome movies catch your attention from the very beginning and keep it long after the credits have rolled. “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” is one of those movies. Based on a true story and the book by attorney Bryan Stevenson, “Just Mercy” takes us to rural Alabama. At the beginning of the movie, we see Walter McMillian (played by Jamie Foxx) being arrested, despite protests that he’s innocent. Six years later, recent Harvard law school graduate Bryan Stevenson (played by Michael B. Jordan) moves to Montgomery, Alabama, to set up a law practice called the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) to represent those who’ve been wrongly incarcerated or haven’t been given equal access to the justice system. From the beginning, he faces an uphill battle. Everyone in the community tells him he won’t succeed; some actively work against him. His first visit to the correctional facility starts with a strip-search — not the standard protocol for an attorney going to meet with clients. It’s clear that Stevenson is on the kind of mission that prejudice, fear, and injustice can’t stand up to. When Stevenson meets with McMillian, who’s been on death row for the past six years, his purpose becomes even clearer. McMillian is ready to give up on the flawed system that wrongly condemned him to death, but Stevenson won’t relent after learning about this injustice. He works diligently to get McMillian a new trial, presenting evidence first at the circuit courts, then at the Alabama Supreme Court. To avoid any spoilers, we’ll leave the rest of the story for you to discover. It’s worth noting that for the last 30 years, Stevenson has continued his work through the EJI to end mass incarceration and that the nonprofit organization has grown in size and scope. Five years ago, when “Just Mercy” had recently been published, Melissa had the privilege of hearing Bryan Stevenson speak at a continuing legal education conference. As you can imagine, it was an inspiring experience, which reaffirmed for Melissa why she is proud to work as an attorney.
Inspired by Pawsh-Magazine.com
The dog days of summer are here, which means we’re all looking for ways to cool off. Help your pup stay cool this summer with these easy-to-make frozen PB&J bites. INGREDIENTS
• 12 medium strawberries
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 4 spoonfuls xylitol-free peanut butter
DIRECTIONS
1. Rinse strawberries and remove tops. Transfer strawberries to a blender and purée with water until smooth.
2. Pour mixture into preferred single-serving molds (like an ice cube tray) to 3/4 full.
3. Carefully place a dollop of peanut butter in each filled mold. Make sure peanut butter sinks into the mixture.
4. Place in the freezer for at least 5 hours or until frozen solid.
5. Serve frozen on a hot summer day!
WE WANT YOU TO THINK OF US AS YOUR LAW FIRM. If you have a legal matter that needs attention, let us know. If we can’t handle the matter, we will refer you to a firm that can. Please feel free to refer us to your friends and family for their legal needs. We welcome the opportunity to help.
If you do one thing this summer, we encourage you to read or watch “Just Mercy.”
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INSIDE
TIPS FOR CLIMBING MOUNTAINS, REAL AND SYMBOLIC 1 THE BEST ACTIVITIES FOR HELPING KIDS COPE WITH STRESS 5 PIECES OF ADVICE TO EASE STRESS AFTER AN AUTO ACCIDENT 2 EMERY LAW MOVIE REEL: ‘JUST MERCY’ EASY FROZEN DOG TREATS 3
AN ESSENTIAL WRITING RESOURCE FOR STUDENTS 4
AN ESSENTIAL RESOURCE
TO HELP STUDENTS IMPROVE THEIR WRITING
As school starts up again, some students may need guidance to get their writing up to par. For those who struggle in English class, this help is crucial, especially if these students weren’t able to get the support they needed in the spring due to digital schooling. While there are many online writing tools, most simply point out grammar and spelling mistakes without supplying in-depth feedback. However, ProWritingAid.com is different. This platform gives students live feedback on their writing and addresses several common problems that novice writers face. STYLE ISSUES Style is something many students and even some copywriters, authors, and professors struggle with. Even if a paper is grammatically correct, the writer’s word choices may create clunky or awkward sentences. When this happens, the paper’s main idea can get lost in a sea of words. ProWritingAid gives feedback on a writer’s work after searching for repetitiveness and passive voice and evaluating general sentence construction. With this feedback, students can perfect their style and make their writing clear and concise. BAD HABITS By utilizing ProWritingAid’s 20 available writing reports and checks, writers can identify common problems and fix tendencies before they become ingrained habits. The Repeats Check, for example, shows when
words or phrases are used many times in the same paragraph. The Contextual Thesaurus can help writers who are struggling with word choice by suggesting synonyms that work in the context of the sentence. The House Style Check allows writers to input specific style guide criteria to ensure their writing follows the proper guidelines. Additionally, The Overused Words Report highlights words like “very” that are overused by many writers and actually weaken the writing. This tool will help writers to create stronger sentences and convey their message in a compelling way. ProWritingAid’s reports and features make it the perfect resource for students as well as professional writers. This resource enables writers to deep-dive into their specific challenges and to solve fundamental issues in their writing. For more information about how this program can help the students and writers in your life, visit ProWritingAid.com.
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