Reasonable Doubt

So I am flying solo now. In addition to navigating my way through the yet unknown and the can’t be known dark clouds of uncertainty, liability insurance, CPAs and ostentatious CLE instructors, I must now concern myself with my dog walking couture.

In the past when my puppy and I went out for a walk what we chose to wear wasn’t usually an issue. Now that we are networking for the purpose of building a practice and trying to avoid buying dog food manufactured in China, we have to think about what we are saying to people or rather, what they think we are saying. The fact is communicating with potential clients— who is everyone we meet or bark at— involves more than words, it includes those fabulous personal billboards that so succinctly, eloquently and defiantly proclaim our moral, intellectual and spiritual superiority. For example, the pup is partial to her “Barack The Vote” shirt and my “I hated George Bush before it was popular” tank top has racked up some frequent flyer miles.

Now I know what you are thinking, can the message on your tee shirts really be that important when someone is either trying to avoid being evicted or deported, especially when there is such a beautiful creature involved? Well, first of all, my dog is pretty cute too. Secondly, it would be imprudent to underestimate the power of the narrow mind and it’s cousin— ignorance. Some people can jump to enormous conclusions with very little effort. For instance to some, my “No War for Oil” shirt says I am an anarchist. My Habitat for Humanity shirts say I am a socialist and my Goddess wear indicates that I must worship the devil.

The solution could lie in the next big sale at Old Navy— a dozen polo shirts. Or it could be solved by the fact that our wardrobe is changing with the season. It is getting colder and by next Summer my practice will either be thriving or the pup and I will both be eating food manufactured in China. Assuming for the sake of argument that I am not advocating the overthrow of either the government or capitalism and that neither my dog nor I are daughters of the dark lord, the question is, does the desire to wear our “Hate is Not a Family Value” or “Surviving Katerina by Any Means Necessary” shirts outweigh the possibility of deterring potential clients?

Well that would depend on whether for the sake of building my practice, we are willing to sacrifice the shirts of our backs. The answer is no, because in the end it always come out in the wash.