Happy New Year Loved Ones!
For the last week or so of 2012 and these first few days of
2013, I’ve been reflecting (as many people have) on the lessons of 2012 and areas
for growth in 2013. 2012 started off a
bit rocky but I knew it had to end up being better than 2011. Well, I was right. 2012 was a catalyst year and my sense is that
in 2013, I will become more of who I am meant to be. I think this is the year that I will figure
out what direction I want to take my career.
I’m learning to tune into spirit more and this blog is one way that I
will share more of that with the world, so here goes!
I want to talk about one of the best things that happened to
me in 2012, getting into Yale Law School.
If you know me, you know that I’ve been dreaming of going to law school
for a very long time. It has been one of
those dreams that has risen to the surface and retreated several times since I
was 12 years old. In many ways, it is
the profession that I always imagined my ideal self as being capable of, maybe
as a result of watching too much Matlock as a kid. I always thought I was too introverted and
shy to be a lawyer so I wanted to be a doctor instead. My
seventh grade civics teacher selected me to play one of two attorneys in a
class simulation and that was the beginning of my ability to envision myself as
a lawyer. In college, I postponed law
school in favor of the Foreign Service because I reasoned I would leave the
State Department for law school after my four year fellowship was
completed. Well four years turned into
eight and for half that time I just dreamt about going to law school and didn’t
take any action to get there. I have
realized that God, as with everything, was preparing me for law school and
putting all the pieces in place for me to do it .
I took a job with the Deputy Secretary of State because of
my experience working on Africa, but was assigned the legal portfolio only
because my predecessor had been a lawyer and had the portfolio. As a result, I got to know the State
Department’s legal advisor, who happened to be the former Dean of Yale Law
School. When I began the law school
application process, I was in the early stages of my divorce and thought I
would have to stay in Washington, DC because of an agreement I had with my ex but
just a few weeks before law school applications were due he announced his plans
to move to Texas, which freed me to consider law schools around the
country. My LSAT scores weren’t in the
range of the typical top law school candidate so admission to Yale or any other
top law school wasn’t likely but I kept getting a feeling that I was going to Yale.
To make a long story short, there were countless miracles
and coincidences and right people in the right places at the right times that
led me to that acceptance letter. I am
now focused on figuring out how to get the most out of law school confident
that it is where I belong right now. I
am armed with an incredible amount of life experience that will undoubtedly be
a tremendous asset in New Haven and beyond.
This is the same sort of feeling I have about the other areas of my
life that are in "in progress". When I look back I see all the
moments that led to this time and place and there is a peace that comes from
knowing that someone else, a benevolent someone with my best interests in mind,
is in charge.
The best part is that I’m not the only one. The universe is constantly conspiring for the good of everyone. I have been thinking about starting this blog for sometime and hope that at least some, if not all, of what I have to share resonates with you. If it does, feel free to comment or share. I am wishing you all lots of love in 2013!
Love always,
Akunna