I had a mediation today in a renovated garage behind Krause, Draisen, & Moorhead that involved several parties, but most importantly, my injured client -Ms. Georgia Lindsey, a 19 year old, Anderson University soccer athlete doing a job shadow-Chelsea White, and myself .  We got to spend some quality time together contemplating life, law school, fishing, and also getting down to business by negotiating the violent, rear end collision Ms. Lindsey was involved in with a representative of BMW. 

I enjoy mediation’s because once each side (plaintiff and defendant) has presented their case, usually the two groups separate into different rooms. I get to spend an ample amount of time with people in a room for several hours which enables us to sit and talk about life.  The mediation process can be slow in moving but many different people with various backgrounds, interests, and reasons came together this afternoon in Anderson, South Carolina.

There were others, but they are of no consequence because they did not have the long talks and art interpretations that the three amigos did. The picture below represented 3 very distinct things to each one of us and those interpretations were not unusual given our background and circumstances.

They were as follows:

• Chelsea –felt the picture above represented –Youth and Life.
• Ms. Lindsey-felt it was the devil and fire.
• Trey-thought it was a field ablaze, yet radiating beauty the whole time and the center, or background, seemed to represent the spring of life that resides in us all to quench the fires that arise.

Ironically, those interpretations of the art we stared at today for 5 hours, came out in three totally different view points. As the mediation progressed and throughout the initial spill by Steve Krause, we were reminded that every person is different and thus brings different impressions, thoughts, and ideas to the table. Just like a jury, each person is going to have a different interpretation of the same facts. However, like Ms. Lindsey said, “Thank goodness we all are different and not the same.”  Very true and very deep.  Sometimes its not about the destination but about the journey. 

(left to right) Chelsea White & Trey Mills

(Ms. Lindsey is in the blue dress)

 

** Life is about making the best of a situation, even in a boring mediation. Keep living the dream!