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Savouring the In-Between

  • Toby Czarny
  • Oct 7
  • 2 min read

Statue of two figures with pigeons perched, surrounded by green trees. Text reads "SUMMER 2025," "Savouring the In-Between," "Written by Toby Czarny."

When I was eight, university felt impossibly far away. As a kid, just a week felt like a year. But as the weeks turned into months, and months into years, my undergrad came and went in a flash. So much life happens between point A and point B, and yet we look back and wonder how things flew by so quickly. Even during undergrad, the idea of being a working lawyer felt like a lifetime away. However, now that law school nears its halfway point, this impossibly distant vision of a life in the legal field will inevitably become reality. 


Painting the future

There may be many reasons why we paint the future as feeling so distant. I think the best theory is imposter syndrome, especially for us mid-20-year-olds. How could a klutz struggling to write a single case brief possibly make it as a legal eagle? We are always chasing competence, a sense of achieving expertise. Unfortunately, we often seem to doubt ourselves in the process. That fear of not being good enough distracts us from the precious moments we experience while learning new skills. 


I think back to undergrad, and how often I both yearned for and dreaded my time in law school.

Will profs really cold call you on day one? Will people be selling their CANs on the black market?

All that time waiting on the endgame made me lose sight of the amazing people, places, and experiences in my immediate surroundings. I think of old friend groups and the stomping grounds where we shared memories. 


Nights on the town, dinner parties, impromptu road trips. Will we ever all be in these same places at the same time again? Unlikely. At the end of the day, all we have is a memory of those “in-between” moments. Law school seems like the ultimate in-between. 


One last stretch of the in-between

For many, it’s the last stretch of our academic journey. And – even before 2L begins as I write this – the recruit hunt is on. Everyone is frantically sending out cover letters left, right and center, hoping to at least get an interview, all the while worrying that they’re behind the curve. Anxiety for the future is an unfortunate distraction, and one we should try to balance with gratitude. It is a real gift to share a snippet of time together, enjoy each other’s company, learn from one another and savour the moment.


This chapter, in the grand scheme of things, is a short one. We have years – in fact, decades – of working life ahead where this time at Dal will be a distant memory. Some may stick around Halifax, while others may only visit for the occasional reunion. Still, seeing how many remarkable people, opportunities, and experiences exist in the present is a reminder to not fear the future or lose sight of the past. We will get there, and when we do, we will look back and be grateful for the incredible lives we are living right now. 


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