Atlanta Divorce Law Group - March 2021

Atlanta Divorce Law Group - March 2021

March 2021

It’s Time to Give Up on ‘Normal’ Let’s Strive for ‘Better’ Instead!

Earlier this year, I went to a law firm conference that changed my perspective on COVID-19. I was already trying to look at the positive side of things, but one particular speaker stopped my thoughts in their tracks. “When are you going to stop saying, ‘When we get back to normal …’?” they asked. “It’s been a year; we’re never going back!” I realized that was absolutely true. The world has changed a lot in the last 12 months. Businesses, schools, workplaces, and families are operating in new ways. We’ve pivoted, adapted, and improved upon the way things were. It no longer makes sense to say, “When things get back to normal, I’m going to do x, y, and z,” because the hard truth is that’s never going to happen. Since that moment, I’ve switched up my thinking. When I catch myself starting a sentence with, “Well, when things get back to normal …,” I stop and start over. My new go-to phrase is, “When things get better.” It might not seem like a big change, but I think it represents a huge shift in expectations. If I say things will get better, that means two things. First, it shows I’ve let go of the idea of “normal” and won’t be disappointed when the world doesn’t rewind. And second, it creates an expectation that things WILL get better. Instead of waiting for things to snap back into place, this reframing reminds me to work toward improving myself and ADLG from the place we are now. I find myself using this tactic when I miss having our whole team in the office. I work with so many amazing people that it’s tempting to daydream about the “normal” of years past when everyone worked from the same location and we did

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activities as a group. Those were great times, but they’re not coming back. We’ve moved on! There are many benefits to having a flexible schedule and giving people the opportunity to work from home, and we’ll probably keep operating that way even after the pandemic. So, now I try to think about what we’ll do when things “get better” instead. That inspired me to come up with activities that combine in-person and virtual engagement, which are much more realistic. This mindset might help you, too. You can use it to tackle the pandemic, and if you’ve gone through a divorce, it can also be a helpful lens for that experience. There’s no “going back to normal” after a divorce. It’s tempting to think you can just finish the paperwork and legal proceedings and get back to your life as usual, but when you split from a partner, the status quo changes. So, instead of aiming for “normal,” try aiming for “better.” That healthier message will help create curiosity, excitement, and energy around your future. No matter what your circumstances are now, better things always lie ahead! “It no longer makes sense to say, ‘When things get back to normal, I’m going to do x, y, and z,’ because the hard truth is that’s never going to happen.”

–Sara Khaki

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Get a Fresh Start This Spring! WITH HELP FROM THESE 2 ADLG VIRTUAL EVENTS

Our Happily Ever After Divorce support group brings people going through divorce together. To help you get a fresh start this spring, our friend and the founder and CEO of Family Solutions Counseling LLC, Kathleen Shack, will lead an online meeting you can join from the comfort of your home. Sign up today to get her expert guidance, connect with new friends, learn how to let go of the past, and move forward into the new season.

how to get started if it is), then this webinar is for you!

Our complimentary divorce support groups and seminars are available online! Register for these upcoming events to gain knowledge, resources, and emotional support that will help you feel empowered while you go through major life changes. HAPPILY EVER AFTER DIVORCE SUPPORT GROUP MEETING (VIRTUAL SUPPORT GROUP) When: Thursday, March 18, at 6 p.m. Register: AtlantaDivorceLawGroup.com/Happily- Ever-After-Divorce-Support-Group After a divorce, it’s normal to ask yourself, “Why?” and hope to find an answer. This internal quest is stressful, and court proceedings and child custody battles only make it more difficult. Luckily, there is a way to break the cycle, find closure, and look toward the future: listening to the advice of experts and sharing your experience with your peers!

Our team specializes in divorce, but we know it’s not the best decision for

every couple. In this virtual meeting, we’ll help you discover whether divorce is your best choice or whether another option like counseling would serve you better. We’ll chat about how to make this important decision, how the divorce process works, what you can expect if you go through with it, and what the financial implications are for your family. Here at ADLG, we’re not letting COVID-19 slow us down. Sign up for these virtual events to get the information and support you need without leaving home.

CONSIDERING DIVORCE (COMPLIMENTARYWEBINAR)

When: Wednesday, March 24, at 7 p.m. Register: AtlantaDivorceLawGroup.com/ Webinars/Considering-Divorce

Have you wondered what divorce would look like for your family? What about separation? If those questions have entered your mind, but you aren’t sure if it’s the right step for your relationship (or

There’s something beautiful about cultivating your own harvest, but you can grow more than simple backyard vegetables. Help your garden “grow up” by trying something unique this spring. GROW FUN FOODS We plant gardens for a purpose, so why not make it fun! Plant fresh basil, tomatoes, onions, peppers, oregano, and more to create a garden worthy of your next homemade pizza. All you will need to buy is the crust! Pumpkin plants can offer fresh gourds for any Halloween fanatic, while new species of fruits and vegetables can create an exciting home-cooking experience. Try the silver cucumber for a sweet taste or pineberries for a mix between strawberries and pineapples. You just might find a new flavor you love. GO WITH THE FLOW Creating a year-round garden that practically takes care of itself means using principles of permaculture, a philosophy of working with, rather than against, nature. Start by analyzing your space and yard. Determine your soil type and layer mulch or cover crops to protect it. Then, begin planting the same way that’s found in nature — trees grow at the top, shrubs and bushes are below, and other small plants and vines intermingle within. Choose crops that help each other grow (like corn, beans, and squash), and offer aid to your garden without digging up too much soil or disturbing its natural process. Permaculture gardening requires thoughtful planning, but once your crops are in place, nature will take its course. PLANT FOR YOUR HEALTH Mass production of your favorite fruits and vegetables reduces their key nutrients. Instead, choose fresh, home-grown varieties to yield greater health benefits. This is good news for those living with heart disease, joint disorders, or other chronic conditions. You can grow a garden chock full of nutrient-rich foods! Colorful fruits, root veggies, onions, and beans are great for joint health, while leafy greens can boost heart health. Grow pumpkins so you can harvest the seeds for better brain function, while berries can support your liver.

3 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR HARVEST Do Something Better in the Garden

Before you dig into these new gardening methods, consult with an expert at a nursery or greenhouse to get the best possible results.

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Field Trip Day, Right From the Living Room 4 VIRTUAL ADVENTURES TO TAKE WITH YOUR KIDS

Field trips are always an exciting time for kids. It changes a monotonous school day into a learning adventure. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has put field trips on hold for the time being. Luckily, there are ways kids can still enjoy field trips from the safety of their homes through virtual field trips! Check out some great virtual field trips below.

VISIT THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART The National Gallery of Art provides 10 digital educational resources for children and adults to explore. These resources include video tours, educational PDFs, and even a few lessons and activities. Children can become engrossed in art, expand their knowledge of the arts, and practice some creativity of their own. Find out more and get exploring at NGA.gov. LEARN ABOUT FARMING WITH BRIGHTFARMS BrightFarms’ virtual tours let viewers explore indoor farming, specifically how leafy greens are grown, harvested, packaged, and delivered to grocery stores. The growers narrate the videos in

an easy-to-follow tour that is perfect for kids and adults alike. Find these tours at their website at BrightFarms.com or Vimeo.com. SEE BUCKINGHAM PALACE In this virtual tour, your kids can explore Buckingham Palace’s throne room, grand staircase, and white drawing room. Each room has a 360-degree view to look around each room, and, by clicking on the information icons, you can learn about certain aspects of each room. This is a wonderful chance to bring your kids into a completely different world right from your living room by heading to Royal.UK/virtual-tours- buckingham-palace.

FLY TO MARS AND THE MOON By heading to AccessMars.WithGoogle.com, you and your kids can embark on an exploration of Mars with narrator Katie Stack Morgan, a NASA planetary geologist on the Mars Science Laboratory mission, and the rover Curiosity. Morgan takes viewers through certain points of Curiosity’s adventures on the real surface of Mars. NASA also has a virtual tour of the moon’s surface at Moon.NASA.gov, providing viewers with information gathered since 2009.

Concierge Partner’s Corner

HERE’S WHAT OUR Clients Are Saying!

Look around the room you’re sitting in right now. Then think about the rest of your home. Is your office a mess? What about your living room — is it cluttered with half-unpacked boxes? One of the toughest parts of going through a divorce is the upheaval it causes in your life, and that extends to your stuff. Whether you moved out or your ex-spouse left the house, you’re probably dealing with the messy fallout. If sorting through all of your things feels overwhelming, it might be time to call an expert like Heather Rogers. Heather owns a company based right here in Atlanta called Simply Organized, and her team specializes in home and office organization. They can help you pack for a move, unpack afterward, or just declutter your current space. “For the last 10 years, my team of 15 has helped people who are going through a major life change by taking away their stress,” Heather says. “We do this by offering a variety of services: packing, unpacking, decluttering, donating, [and offering] resources such as trash removal, movers, estate sale companies, charitable donation pickups, repairs, and more.” If you live in Fulton, Cobb, Forsyth, Dekalb, or Gwinnett county, Heather and her professional crew can take the pressure of organizing off of your shoulders. With that burden lifted you’ll be free to spend time with your kids or focus on your career. To learn more, reach out to Heather by calling 404-825-2105 or emailing [email protected].

“These guys own it! Shawna has kept me updated every step of the way, and I’ve had the pleasure of having Ashley Pepitone represent me for my court hearing. She was prepared, she asked all of the right questions, and we had great success presenting everything to the judge and getting the order we were looking for. I look forward to continuing to work with these guys on the next steps in my case, and highly recommend them for anyone going through divorce/custody issues.” –Jack S.

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WHY LAUGHTER IS GOOD FOR YOU Laugh More, Age Less

As we age, we’re told to wear sunscreen, eat more vegetables, take vitamins, and even walk more — all in hope that our internal clocks will slow down and we will age better. But something as simple as laughter could actually be one of the easiest ways to slow the ticking clock of aging. Scientists have long known that laughter can be therapeutic and help us live longer. It has been shown to reduce wear and tear on our bodies and improve our relationships. A Norwegian study found that those who prioritized humor were more likely to live past 70 than those who didn’t laugh often. At a biological level, laughter can reduce tension in your muscles and activate a powerful stress- relief response from your brain by releasing dopamine. Just one chuckle may even improve your breathing and heart function! In fact, laughing can work wonders for the heart. One study showed that laughter therapy helped reduce the blood pressure and cholesterol levels of its participants. Their blood circulation

improved, too. Studies have also found that regular laughter can help strengthen your immune system, and it has long-term benefits for those with respiratory conditions. In addition to your body, laughter is also good for your social life. (And we don’t mean that people will want to spend time with you if you have all the good jokes!) Throughout history, laughter has been an evolutionary sign of understanding. When there are language barriers, laughing together can create camaraderie and a tighter bond between people of different cultures. The dopamine release that comes with laughter aids in stress relief and creates powerful memories that can improve your mood and strengthen friendships. Of course, laughter has its downfalls, too. Laughing at someone else’s expense is detrimental to their health and can harm your relationships. So, stick to light jokes and actively seek shows, cartoons, or people who make you laugh. You’ll feel good, and your body will be pretty happy, too.

Would You Leap the Flames? TRY THIS PERSIAN TRADITION TO WELCOME THE SPRING

Would you jump over a fire if it meant you could start the new year with a clean slate? What if it was a family tradition? For many Persian families, both of those things are true, and they’ll leap the flames one by one during Chahar Shanbeh Soori or The Festival of Fire, a ritual that’s part of the Persian NewYear. While the American New Year’s celebration happens on Jan. 1, the Persian festival Eid-Nowruz takes place in the spring. Nowruz has been celebrated in Iran for at least 3,000 years, and today it’s recognized all over the world in places like China, India, Turkey, Eastern Europe, and Egypt. In just a few weeks, ADLG founder Sara Khaki will get ready to jump the flames with her husband and children here in Atlanta. “Nowruz celebrates the boundary between the new year and the old year, and Persians have a tradition of building little fire pits, lighting fires in them, and jumping over the fires,” Sara explains. “All of our neighbors get together to do it. The idea is that when you jump over the flames, you are able to burn off the things you want to leave

behind in the old year and keep what you want to carry forward with you into the new year.”

When Persians jump the fire, they say the phrase, “Sorkhi-e to az man, aardi-e man az to!” which means, “Give me your beautiful red color and take back my sickly pallor!” Chahar Shanbeh Soori isn’t the only ritual associated with Eid-Nowruz, but it’s one of Sara’s favorites. Her Persian family also counts down to the new year, does deep spring- cleaning, and sets the table with symbolic items. Flowers, for example, represent spring, while coins signal prosperity, sprouts symbolize rebirth, and goldfish represent life itself. Even if you aren’t Persian, the fire-jumping ritual of cleansing and rebirth is a perfect fit for spring. It’s a ceremonial way to leap into a new year or a new season, and Sara encourages everyone to try it — safely, of course! “It’s a great way to take inventory and remind yourself what you want to accomplish in 2021,” she says. Happy Eid-Nowruz!

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