Legal Wellness Tour Reflections

My goals for the Legal Wellness Tour were twofold; to raise energy and awareness around the need for wellness in the legal profession, and to provide a transition for myself and my family. I completed my final law school assignment just a few weeks before the start of the tour (my J.D. diploma arrived while we were on the road), and the tour was a way for me to refocus my attention on Practicing on Purpose LLC. I started the company last May so I wouldn't be starting from scratch when I graduated, and immediately had far more interest in the work than I had anticipated. The tour built on that momentum. Another piece of the transition is our family and living situation - we will be welcoming a baby next month, so from now until the end of June I won't be able to travel.

The 7 Purposes wellness model draws from Positive Psychology concepts, which involve using character strengths to increase happiness. In my workshops, I often ask people to tell the story of their five best minutes from the previous week. The photo to the left was taken during one of my five best minutes of the Tour. We were driving through the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park on a day with scattered rainstorms. As we checked into the park, the ranger told us we had actually picked a great day to visit as the colors would be especially vibrant. We stopped at a lookout point and though it was dry the wind was cold and fierce. We enjoyed the view for a few moments before heading back to the car, and I noticed the glimmer of sunlight in the distance. I turned back to take one last photo and it is one of my favorites from the trip. At that moment I felt reassured and welcomed. I saw how the rain, though unpleasant, made the desert shine, and the sun was just waiting for its turn to bring warmth back.

That's the image I will hold of the Tour, and visualize that patch of sunlight growing to fill the visible horizon.

Visit the Legal Wellness Tour blog at http://www.practicingonpurpose.com/tourblog