If... Going Slightly Off the Beaten Path (Week 1)

So I came across a blog posting by my friend Jody, at JD2.0, who has started following Nick's "If Project" at nickynax.com. The book, If...(Questions for the Game of Life), is 125 pages long with 4 questions on each page. I'd like to think I could answer the four questions every week for the next 125 weeks and I'm going to do my damnedest to make sure it happens. Maybe I'll find out something about myself along the way - that's a scary thought. As it evolves, I can see myself getting a little deeper into myself - and hopefully the questions will evolve in the same way.



1. If you were to be granted one wish, what would it be?

Man, that's a tough one. At this point in my life I'm hoping for a good job. After seven years of higher education and three years of law school loans, I find myself $60,000 in debt and needing a new car before my current POS completely falls apart. As much as I want to find a good legal job (and I have been applying for several) I suppose I could fall back on my business undergrad degree and give the business world a go. I suppose I've always thought in the back of my mind that it would be nice to end up running a company one day. It's not terribly rare. 10.8% of the S&P 500 companies have an attorney at the helm. Anyways, back to the crux of the question. I really just want a job that will let me have my own place, find and raise a dog, and have enough left over after paying the bills so I can have fun on the weekends. I'm pretty happy with my life right now - great friends, great family and no desire to be in a relationship, though some nights do get lonely now and again. The one thing that is missing is security for the future - that's something that scares the hell out of me.

2. If you could spend one whole night alone with anyone in the world who is currently alive, who would you select?

This isn't an easy question. I'm not easily impressed by people and the ones I want to spend time with the most are my friends. I suppose coming from a legal background, I would really want to spend time with Sandra Day O'Connor. She was probably the most powerful person on the Supreme Court from the late 1980s until her retirement in 2005. She never seemed to have a judicial philosophy and made her decisions on a case-by-case basis. She was accused over the years of being a conservative hack and a liberal baby killer. In reality she was a great moderate, usually falling on the side of personal liberty. It was a delicate position for her to be in, especially as the first woman to serve on the High Court. Anthony Kennedy might have taken her place in the middle but I don't think he'll ever gain a legacy of deciding the great issues like O'Connor.

3. If you could spend one whole night alone with anyone in history, who would you choose?

This was actually an easier question for me. I'd pick my Papaw over anyone else who has ever lived. He died on May 22 after a long battle with colon cancer that eventually spread to most of his gut. His obituary, written by one of my great aunts is here. He was the patriarch of the Sandage family and unofficial handyman for most of Hot Spring County, especially his hometown of Donaldson. I try not to remember the frail man who lay dying in his bed - that wasn't my Papaw. My Papaw was the storyteller and historian, a reluctant leader and an overall good man. My dad told me he took Papaw around every street in Donaldson and he had a story about every street, every house and nearly every family who had ever lived in that town. I know I didn't always realize the impact he had on his community until the funeral, when nearly 500 people crammed into an entirely too small funeral chapel to pay their respects. When I went to the Sandage Family Reunion last week, there was a piece missing that I think everyone felt. But I'm thankful for the impact he had on us and the way he touched everyone he knew.

4. If you could physically transport yourself to any place in the world at this moment, where would you go?

Too easy. Cinque Terre, Italy is where I could live forever. I visited once while on a study abroad trip. The name, literally "five lands" is a trail between five towns on the west coast of Italy. Hiking, laying on the beach, eating and drinking are some of the best parts of visiting. Each town has its own character - each also produces its own wines and olive oils! There is a trail between the towns that starts in Riomaggiore and winds north. The farther north, the more treacherous the trail. It ends in Monterosso, where a beautiful beach awaits. If I could only make one more trip abroad (God forbid I don't have more opportunities), Cinque Terre would be on the itenerary.