PRESIDENT’S PAGE
James I. Stealey, President
The WV State Bar

Perspective, Priorities, and Reflections

"Run if you like, but try to keep your breath;
Work like a man, but don't be worked to death."
        n DR. OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES, SR.

On the wall in my office directly across from my desk is a poster of Abbott
and Costello's famous "Who's On First" routine. Every now and then, when
things get particularly hectic or stressful at work, I'll walk over and read
the exchange between Bud and Lou. My favorite part goes something like this:

C: "When you pay off the first baseman each month, who gets the money?"

A: "Certainly."

C: "Who gets the money?"

A: "Every dollar of it."

C: "When you give the guy the money, who gets it?"

A: "Sure. He's entitled to it. He earned it. Sometimes his wife comes in
to pick up his check."

C: "Who's wife?"

A: "Yes, of course. You don't think he'd send someone else's wife in to get
his check, do you?"

C: "Who?"

A: Well certainly.
Directly below the Abbott and Costello poster is an old Philco floor
model radio that is very special to me. My Father and I bought it for $5.00
at an auction sale in Clarksburg when I was about 8 years old. Of course, it
didn't work, and the cabinet was in pretty bad shape. But my Dad was skilled
with electronic stuff. First he went out and bought a couple of bushel
basket full of used radio and TV tubes at another auction sale. Then, he
replaced tubes, wires, plugs, and everything else you can think of. Before
long, he had the radio working perfectly. We used to sit around in the
basement and listen to it, hour after hour. It had short wave bands that
would pick up aircraft, planes, and foreign stations. My favorite was Radio
Moscow. I couldn't figure out what anyone was saying, but I loved the music.
This was during early 60's, in the Cold War. I almost felt like a spy.

To finish the story, after my Dad died in 1981, the old radio sat in a
corner of my Mom's basement for years, gathering dust. I asked Mom one day
if I could have it, and of course, she said I could. But by then, the
cabinet had deteriorated badly from the moisture in the air, and the radio,
itself, wouldn't play any more. Luckily, one of my secretary's husbands is a
skilled woodworker, and I have a client who collects and repairs old radios.
When these two men were done with this thing, it not only looked like it just
came off the showroom floor, but it played beautifully. Now when I go to the
office at night, I can still listen to short wave broadcasts and foreign
radio stations. Its mere presence in the office reminds me of the many
precious hours I spent with my Dad when I was young.

I take great pleasure in simple things; funny things; reflections upon
times gone by. They help relieve the pressures and stresses of everyday
life, which all lawyers know can be tremendous. We're certainly not Lone
Rangers when it comes to stress. Nor is our stress the same as that felt by
those in this world just trying to survive and feed their families. In
truth, if you think about it, we're very fortunate to be who we are and what
we are, in both the personal and the professional sense. We're members of a
true profession - one of only three in the entire world - medicine and the
ministry being the other two. We should be proud of who we are, and what we
are, and what we stand for. We should never be embarrassed to tell anyone
what we do for a living. But it does seem to me we should pause more often
to reflect on those things, and how we are blessed by them, and to be
thankful for that.

The problem with many of us, I think, is that we bring on much of our own
stress. We thrive on stress. We crave it. We actually look for ways to
create it in our lives. It becomes a necessary part of our existence. We
don't take time for reflection or for celebration of the things that mean
something. We overestimate the importance of our work, and underestimate the
importance of just about everything else. Our work becomes our life, and our
life becomes our work. Maybe that's right for some people, but not for me.
I hope it never is. Yet, I fight it every day, as I'm sure many of you do.

Dr. Richard Carlson in his book entitled Don't Sweat The Small Stuff mentions
one technique for the reduction of stress that I found very interesting. He
says to imagine yourself at your own funeral. Imagine looking back at all
you have done in your life, and consider whether your focus was in the right
direction. For example, would you say: "Gee, I wish I'd spent more time at
the office?" Or, would you more likely say: "Gee, I'm glad I spent time
laughing at Abbott and Costello, and The Three Stooges, and working with my
Father, and reflecting on the many blessings in my life!" I know what my
answer would be. What about yours?

At meetings I have attended where "experts" tell you how to write articles
for state bar magazines, you're reminded that you're not a preacher.
"Readers don't want a sermon, they want an article," say the experts. Well,
if I have offended anyone with these remarks, I apologize. But my purpose in
writing this particular article is not to try to tell anyone how to live his
or her own life. Far be it from me to make that judgment. Those who know me
best also know that I don't always practice what I preach. Stress and
anxiety have become a permanent part of my life, in spite of my best efforts.
My purpose is merely to encourage you, particularly the younger lawyers, to
consider taking time to enjoy the things that are really important. Embrace
them. Learn to appreciate them. In the process, by reducing the stress in
your life, you might actually become a better lawyer by becoming a better
person. You might be more focused, more productive. And, you will prosper,
both personally and professionally. Good luck. I wish you well.