Suck the Marrow Out of Life

I love this phrase, coined by Henry David Thoreau.  Part of it for me is the visual I get when I hear it spoken, like a caveman eating every possible piece of his kill before going out and hunting again.  Aside from the primal imagery is the emphasis on the here and now, as if this might be the last "meal" you get, so eat it all.  How often have you thrown away a half-eaten chicken only to go out and buy a Big Mac hours later?  More on point, how many of you are stuck in jobs you hate, relationships that are toxic, or otherwise not realizing your full potential?  Sucking the marrow out of life means, to me, that I should probably get up early and use my time as best I can, because we never know when it's your last day.

I think of a scene from Fight Club, where the unnamed protagonist played by Ed Norton discusses the point:

"It used to be that when I came home angry and depressed I'd just clean my condo, polish my Scandinavian furniture.  I should have been looking for a new condo.  I should have been haggling with my insurance company.  I should have been upset about my nice, neat, flaming little s*.  But I wasn't."

Clearly he has just realized that there is plenty of marrow left in his life, and that he had not before this moment even recognized that he could do better.  Most of us do not reach our full potential every day, let alone in life.  But that's really not the point.  Most of us aren't even trying.  And this isn't about accumulating the most crap.  You will always find someone that has more money than you, a better job, etc., but that shouldn't mean that you just give up.  Whatever the size of your carcass, eat and enjoy every bit.

So, why the rant?  Aside from seeing litigants sell themselves short in court, I see it in my peers.  Lawyers practice with those they would rather not all the time, and for what reason, I cannot imagine.  How can you get the most out of your day if there is a constant source of conflict in the office?  You can't.  Now you have options:  do you (a) deal with the problem and move on to more productive activities, or (b) let it fester until you can think of nothing else and allow the tiny pea to wreck your entire practice?  The choice is always yours, but only one gives you the most of your life.

If you are unhappy with something in your life, change it.  In a bad relationship, end it or fix it.  But don't sit on the couch wishing your life was better.  Whatever lot in life you have drawn, get the most out of it.  Maybe that means taking a vacation in October, or taking target practice in your new suit.  Tell your wife you love her, hug your kids.  Whatever the means, get what you want out of life.  You might not get a chance to complete what you put off for tomorrow.  Make a change today, and suck all the juicy marrow out of life you can.

Cheers,

JD

John D. Duncan is president of J.D. Duncan, PC, founding partner of Prater, Duncan & Craig, LLC in Newnan, Georgia, and is Esquire by Day.  You can find him at www.jdduncanlaw.com, or follow him on twitter and Facebook.