A Novel Experience

A Novel Experience
I traveled to Cordoba to visit a dear friend of mine from high school. She is doing wonderfully in a gorgeous city in the south of Spain. I am so proud of her for following her heart. Let me tell you a little about my friend and what this woman is up to.

Of course it is important for everyone to case their dreams, but I would advise caution to most friends of mine who abandon their previous goals (being a larger than life lawyer in the US) to move to Spain, live with her first boyfriend ever, become a midwife, and live a beautiful life surrounded by family and friends and wine. After a year abroad in Spain, numerous Spanish and American friends, a little dancing, and a handsome and intelligent boyfriend, this is what Sarah is doing.

I would caution most people about this 180 degree change of plans. No, to most people, I would do more than caution, I would disbelieve. But not Sarah. This is a girl I have known since high school to be an incredibly studious, hard-working, opinionated, talented, motivated and ambitious girl. She was always grown up—more than grown up: mature with a twist of eccentricity—not being distracted by the high school pitfalls of boys and booze, being hyper-liberal while at the same time stunningly conservative in her own actions. A bit of an enigma—albeit an outspoken one.

I am so proud of her. It is really brave of her to embrace this capriccios change of plans. She is a very solid person, and I truly believe that things are relatively likely to work out for her. Even if they don’t, though, she will rebound being all the stronger because of this experience. As a person who is trying to do both—have fun and live in the moment AND pursue a career in law and maybe diplomacy—I know it is a difficult thing to do. I am proud of her for her conviction to make such a drastic but well-laid plan and stick to it. It is these decisions that will make for a happy life with no regrets, and I wish her all the best. Surely, though, a person as who is both as responsible and unafraid doesn’t need my support, as she is a truly a woman I admire for standing on her own.

I have always liked characters--people who could be in books because of their personalities. They remind me of reading novels---which I do with startling infrequency since law school. Sarah, right now, is a fantastic heroine for me.