Working for a Living

Ok, ok, here is a new post. I took a couple of days off from this because of other obligations. Once in a great while my work requires me to be elsewhere.

Because of both the complexity and unpredictability of Maggie’s care, I have been working at home since she was born. Occasionally in these 15 years, I have tried to work outside the house, but it never lasts. Responding to constant medical emergencies wears thin for employers. Initially they are very understanding and concerned, but when it happens repeatedly – or I just disappear for a couple of weeks for an extended hospital stay, it simply interferes with running a business. I get that.

While I am very very lucky to be in a position to work from home, and to take the huge financial hit that came with that, I miss working. I am sure I would be complaining mightily if I had to get to the office every day, but from where I sit right now, that would be nice. I am still involved in a few things and I was in court a couple of times in the past few weeks. It felt good.

I miss practicing law. I do not miss the tedium of writing and rewriting briefs or poring through huge stacks of documents; but I miss the intellectual challenges of some of the projects, and I miss the feeling you get when you win a tough case. I also miss the camaraderie of the office and being part of the pulse of downtown.

My advocacy skills help me with Maggie, of course. I know how to present things to agencies and insurers to get things done. It’s not that Maggie gets anything more than she should, but knowing how to work the system has definitely helped her (and me) get the available help. In addition, I have put those skills to use for many other families as well.

I am glad to be able to help, but I do not want to build a business doing this. There are a couple of reasons for that The first is, I can’t bring myself to charge most people for my services but can’t take on their problems without compensation – otherwise I’ve just added their problems to my own. However, even more than the money is the lack of any break from my issues with Maggie. Dealing with the same issues at work that I do at home would drive me ‘round the bend. When you are in the same boat as your client, it is very difficult NOT to get emotionally involved. And that can compromise a lawyer’s ability to advocate appropriately.

I need some balance.

I do a lot of volunteer work. I work with a couple of different non-profits to help kids. It is a perfect way to use my lawyer skills and help people without taking on another family’s sadness or frustration with the system. Right now, I am involved with two organizations.
One is Advokids (www.advokids.org) which assists children in the foster care system. This organization is trying to change a broken system. That means fighting against those who are entrenched in the system. The secret is to keep the focus on the kids the system is supposed to serve instead of the adults who run it. This is a wonderful organization run by all volunteers. There’s a casino night fundraiser scheduled for March 7. Please check out the invitation on the Advokids website. It is a fun night and a great cause.

The other is Friends of CCS (California Children’s services). We are just getting underway; in fact, our incorporation papers are pending, and may be complete by now. CCS is a governmental entity so the services are pretty bare bones, and now with the budget mess, they are being cut drastically. The therapists end up paying for a lot of stuff out of their own pockets but they cannot do it alone. The non-profit “friends of” will raise money to support the work of the physical and occupational therapists that work with Maggie and other kids with physical disabilities.

I do other volunteer things as well. I love the opportunity to speak to classes or groups or be part of a panel addressing the issues families face raising disabled children. I used do that all the time, but those opportunities have sort of dried up. Maybe everyone has heard my story already!

The volunteer work is good for me. It provides some perspective on the world and some insight into how my problems fit in the whole cosmic scheme of things. I still miss being a lawyer, but I do get some balance in my life.