An American tradition from the days when it was difficult to stay in touch over thousands of miles is still going strong: the end of the year newsletter to family and close friends.
The letter, sent by post, usually contains a photo or two, showing how you aged or stayed miraculously unchanged thanks to Photoshop, and a tightly spaced overview of the major events of the past year.
It is, obviously, grossly unfair to rate these letters, because not every cousin can be Shakespeare or H.L. Mencken.
It is, obviously, also natural to look forward to letters from some people a wee bit more than from others.
One particular friend's news are especially welcome, because the letters are funny, written with the precision of a lawyer - a very good one - and they show year after year that you do not have to become an asshole as you grow up. Growing up these days means you pass the 30 year mark.
The letter shows you can keep a humane, socially conscious self alive through law school, but, yes, you may end law school with a different view of almost all your peers (they have come such assholes now).
You can come out of law school as a great vegetarian cook who can strip the inside of a Victorian house and rebuild it while not destroying its character.
You can establish a publications list to rival that of many full time academics and remain unknown. That's what pseudonyms are for.
The list of accomplishments is actually longer, but just as we do not want to feel we have not accomplished much by comparison, we want to spare you, our readers from the feeling.
Realism paired with an unwavering commitment to social justice and fairness can persist in a human being.
It is a choice.
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