JDs Rising

By Ron Walters

The bar exam was exhausting.  Surprisingly so.  After two days of wringing out my brain like a sponge, I was in a haze and totally shocked when a networking contact emailed me about a hot job prospect.  I was fortunate enough to land an interview–an interview that went well enough that I started calculating just how many new neckties I’d need to turn my two suits into a fully functional working wardrobe.

Unfortunately, however, after nearly a week of frantic email checks and constant pocket patting to make sure I had my cell phone within reach, the position was offered to the other finalist.  The loop on my emotional roller coaster took a subterranean dip and my daydreams of joining the well-coiffed professionals on the train to work were replaced with nightmares about asking my table if they’d like to start off with some onion rings.

Thus, while I prepare myself to spend the colder months callusing my fingertips as I scour the Internet for legal work of any kind, I know I’m going to get depressed and anxious. I’d like a job tomorrow, but I want to keep myself out of civil commitment proceedings if one doesn’t come till spring. That’s why I’m committing myself to getting regular exercise, even when it feels like a waste of time that I could be spending panhandling or chasing down ambulances. And if I may, I’d encourage anyone else in my position to do the same. Check out the following passage from the Chemistry of Joy by Henry Emmons:

“Exercise has so many benefits in combating depression and improving brain chemistry that the following advice—while true—may sound like a cliché: Find a form a vigorous movement that appeals to you, practice it three to five times a week for twenty to forty minutes and watch your mood improve.”

So, if anyone wants to swap networking tips while jogging along the Mississippi river this fall, feel free to send me an email. Good luck job hunting and if you miss an opportunity or start to feel overwhelmed, consider an enjoyable form of exercise as the fastest path to fresh perspective and motivation to keep going.