By all outward measures, things have gone “right” in my life. I’m happily married to my best friend, and we share two wonderful children. I hold a tenure-track law professor position at Campbell Law School — it’s my dream job, and the community here has warmly supported my growth as both a scholar and a teacher. Before that, I earned my J.D. from Duke Law School, served as an editor of the law review, practiced at a big law firm, and now count some of the world’s most generous, brilliant mentors among my greatest blessings. My CV reflects awards, publications, and invited talks. And yet, despite all of this, I often feel like I fooled everyone to get here.
There’s a persistent tension between how I appear to the world and how I feel inside. I spend so much time wondering how I came to be where I am that when something doesn’t go my way, I cling to it as confirmation of my self-doubt. Strangely, I never do the opposite. I don’t cling to accomplishments. I don’t let success reassure me. If anything, I explain it away: a fluke, luck, a clerical error, someone being kind.
https://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.png00ConstitutionalRightshttps://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.pngConstitutionalRights2025-09-09 09:14:072026-01-27 11:55:08The Myth of No Bad Days
Home is a simple yet altogether complicated topic for many.
Home may be where we were born and raised. It also may be discovered, unexpectedly, in a place we visited – one that, while we may have left it, never truly left us. Sometimes, it may even be found in the eyes of another person. If we are lucky, we may be able to call multiple places and people home. While the term carries with it varied meanings, the pursuit and care for it is ultimately a shared experience for us all.
https://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.png00RealPropertyhttps://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.pngRealProperty2025-06-03 09:02:552025-06-03 09:05:55Real Property, Real People, Real Loss: Restoring The Communities We Call Home
Around the time of my recent fiftieth birthday, I was frequently asked about any profound or revelatory thoughts I had experienced. I always felt that my responses were a little underwhelming. After some reflection, however, I realized it might not have been my responses that were the issue, but the framing of the question.
I came to this realization, in part, during rides home from school with our two boys. If I asked our fourth and sixth graders what they learned at school that day, I frequently got responses like, “not much” or “nothing interesting” or “the same old stuff.” But if I asked what they had done at school, or their favorite activity, the responses were far more animated and more complete.
The Myth of No Bad Days
Featured PostsBy all outward measures, things have gone “right” in my life. I’m happily married to my best friend, and we share two wonderful children. I hold a tenure-track law professor position at Campbell Law School — it’s my dream job, and the community here has warmly supported my growth as both a scholar and a teacher. Before that, I earned my J.D. from Duke Law School, served as an editor of the law review, practiced at a big law firm, and now count some of the world’s most generous, brilliant mentors among my greatest blessings. My CV reflects awards, publications, and invited talks. And yet, despite all of this, I often feel like I fooled everyone to get here.
There’s a persistent tension between how I appear to the world and how I feel inside. I spend so much time wondering how I came to be where I am that when something doesn’t go my way, I cling to it as confirmation of my self-doubt. Strangely, I never do the opposite. I don’t cling to accomplishments. I don’t let success reassure me. If anything, I explain it away: a fluke, luck, a clerical error, someone being kind.
Read more
Real Property, Real People, Real Loss: Restoring The Communities We Call Home
Featured PostsHome is a simple yet altogether complicated topic for many.
Home may be where we were born and raised. It also may be discovered, unexpectedly, in a place we visited – one that, while we may have left it, never truly left us. Sometimes, it may even be found in the eyes of another person. If we are lucky, we may be able to call multiple places and people home. While the term carries with it varied meanings, the pursuit and care for it is ultimately a shared experience for us all.
Read more
Fifty
Featured PostsAround the time of my recent fiftieth birthday, I was frequently asked about any profound or revelatory thoughts I had experienced. I always felt that my responses were a little underwhelming. After some reflection, however, I realized it might not have been my responses that were the issue, but the framing of the question.
I came to this realization, in part, during rides home from school with our two boys. If I asked our fourth and sixth graders what they learned at school that day, I frequently got responses like, “not much” or “nothing interesting” or “the same old stuff.” But if I asked what they had done at school, or their favorite activity, the responses were far more animated and more complete.
Read more