Ten years ago today, I got fired. From a law firm where I thought I’d build my future — maybe even become a partner. Instead, it was a short-sighted decision, handled without much backbone. No garden leave. I was expected to keep delivering until the very last day — business as usual. Still cannot believe it 🤣. What stayed with me wasn’t losing the job. It was the human side of it. In a profession and company that talks a lot about values, you’d expect a certain level of integrity — the kind that doesn’t hide behind emails and screens. Strong personalities with their own minds don’t always fit into systems that rely on control. That much became clear. And it wasn’t just the job. I also lost a colleague I genuinely cared about. But life… has its own way of rearranging things. Ten years later, we’re back in touch. Turns out he didn’t exactly stay on that path either. Funny how time puts things into perspective. Looking back now, that moment became the starting point for everything I have today. A life I built on my own terms. And yes, even with its challenges, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Not for that job. Not for that path. For those who quietly wondered over the years — whether I was throwing away my career, having a midlife crisis, or whatever story was told behind closed doors — no need to worry. It was, and still is, all exactly as it should be. Days like this make you reflect. Long drives, good music — the perfect mix for old memories to resurface. Germany, up to my 40th birthday. Hochheim, Mainz, Wiesbaden, Düsseldorf, Moers, Duisburg… and all the incredible people connected to those places — and beyond. Some of you have been part of my life forever, some just for a chapter. But the connection remains. I’m deeply grateful for all of you. Truly. And today, somewhere completely different, on a hike with four wonderful humans — three of them with legal backgrounds from San Francisco (yes, life does have a sense of humor) — I’m reminded again: Sometimes the door that closes on you is exactly the one that sets you free.