How many times have you set the below out of office message or received it from a colleague or other contact?

"I am out of the office and have limited access to email and voicemail. I will respond to your message after I return to the office on March 25. If you need immediate assistance, please contact John Doe at 123-456-7890 or jdoe@office.com. Thank you."

More times than you can count, right? Well, try this one on for size instead:

"Thank you for your message. I am out of the office and will respond when I return on March 25, 2024."

On June 6, 2023, my life changed when I was diagnosed with lymphedema. If you don’t know what lymphedema is – I didn’t – it’s excessive swelling caused by the buildup of lymphatic fluid somewhere in the body. My lymphedema manifested itself -- out of nowhere – in my left foot. It impacts my foot, my toes, my ankle, and my lower leg. There is no cure for lymphedema. Although lymphedema is not a life-threatening condition, it is a life-altering one and it requires extensive daily management.

I was at a "parents' night out" dinner at a restaurant the other night. As we sat down to eat, the server came over to take our drink order. One of the moms picked up the beer and wine list and ordered a lager on tap. The server told her that the beer was no longer available and the mom said: "Oh! I'm sorry!" before she picked another beer.

I shut off the faucet, took off my dish gloves, and paused the audiobook. I opened the junk drawer and took out paper and a pen to write down the quote I had just heard: "The stories you choose to tell are the stories that make up who you are." When I heard this, I thought: "Whoa. I'm going to use that one day." That was last week, so I just didn't realize how soon that would be.

When we moved into our house in 2013, one of the first things we did was remove the wallpaper (in literally every room) and paint. We used various shades of beige throughout the house because it was a clean neutral. In 2015, we renovated our kitchen, opting for a green khaki color on the walls, which was the only real "color" in the house. I loved it all... until last year.

I never would have thought I'd be a guest on a podcast all about the power of play, but as they say, never say never.

I had the privilege of being a guest on the Playful Humans podcast hosted by Mike Montague. (Listen here or watch below.) His platform is all about unleashing the power of play to -- wait for it -- increase productivity. Yep, you read that right: take time off, do the things you enjoy, and watch your efficiency soar. So HECK YES, as someone who gives keynotes and facilitates workshops about extinguishing burnout, you bet your bottom dollar I can hang.

So when we live our days in harmony, the mind, body, and spirit are right where they belong. After all, Dictionary.com explains that harmony is  "a consistent, orderly, or pleasing arrangement of parts; congruity." I guess those congruent triangles I learned about in Trigonometry well over 25 years ago are coming in handy after all. 

I almost didn't buy the suit. It was a splurge at a popular boutique and looked nothing like the sea of navy, gray, and black skirt suits in my closet. It was a sleeveless dress paired with an unstructured lady jacket. The dress and jacket were a black and cream patterned knit. I loved it from the moment I put it on: it fit like a glove; it was comfortable; and it was timeless. So, with a deep breath, I went for it.

I manifested a moment last week. Like, for real. Here goes:

We went to New Orleans to spend Thanksgiving with my in-laws. One of my all-time favorite shops to check out when I'm there is Fleurty Girl, the name being a riff on the fleur-di-lis symbolizing New Orleans. The store carries everything from NOLA t-shirts, Mardi Gras gear, pop culture swag, accessories, home goods, you name it. For example, I might have purchased a sticker that says: "I tried to get tickets Eras Tour tickets and all I got was this lousy sticker." <Sigh.>

You know how you suddenly see that car you're interested in everywhere on the road? Or how that bad day seems to be endless because nothing can go your way? (I can literally feel some of you shaking your heads "YES"!) Do you know why this always happens?

Over the last three weeks, three events occurred that seemingly have nothing to do with each other. But they have everything to do with each other, thanks to the rule of three.

It was a Monday morning at 7:30 a.m. I stood before a class of college-bound junior and senior high school students. I was there to deliver my authenticity talk and answer questions about being a lawyer. A bunch of thoughts went through my head. Did high school always start this early? Will they stay awake? Are they too young to understand my story? Did I ever look this young?!

As the class parent in charge of a first grade Halloween party at school, the pressure was on. Ok, I was the one putting the pressure on myself, but still, somehow the stakes for the party felt higher than the multi-million dollar class actions I used to litigate. What if we were missing snacks? What if the kids hated the snacks? What if they didn't want to do the Halloween craft? What if, what if, what IF?! Cue the overthinking and unnecessary mental load.

October 26, 2003 was a beautiful fall day. Although it was a Sunday, I drove down to Seton Hall Law mid-morning. I didn't take my books or laptop with me because I wasn't going to school to study. I was meeting my moot court partner... we were going on a date. 

How many times a day do you check email?

If you work at a desk all day like me, your answer is most likely "constantly" or "as it arrives." But have you ever stopped to think about how often you are actually checking email? The answer might be upwards of dozens of times a day, not to mention responding within minutes of receipt much of the time. Really have a think about it for a moment.

My wedding day, nearly 16 years ago now, was like a blur. After all that planning, decision-making, stress, fatigue, and excitement, the day passed by all too quickly. However, there is one moment that is crystal clear in my mind: when I woke up.

"Do you ever feel like just giving up?" When I asked my husband this the other night, he immediately looked at me with concern and surprise. I quickly added that I was referring to my lymphedema and how I was frustrated and aggravated. I was tired of it all: the wrapping, the re-swelling, the PT eating into my day and causing work to bleed into my nights. I was just... over it. 

"Your storage is almost full." Google must have sent that message to my main Gmail account* countless times over the last six months or so. The first time I received it, I opened it, read how close I was to the limit and what I'd have to do it fix it, told myself "I don't have time to deal with this," decided to procrastinate fixing it, and deleted the message.

Awkward conversations. Nobody likes them. Everybody has to have them at some point. Over the past several weeks, I found myself needing to have awkward conversations both personally and professionally. Although these conversations are never fun or easy, I have learned how to make them go smoothly -- for all parties involved.

So apparently I have lymphedema. That's when you experience swelling because your lymphatic system gets clogged and fluid pools in an appendage. Since March, my left foot has been really swollen and the swelling has traveled up into my ankle and calf. And let's just say, it's objectively noticeable and obvious. How did this happen?