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Lawyer who ditched law practice at 37 ignored mom's warning that he was ruining his life

Lawyer Robert Markowitz knew he was unhappy with law practice at the age of 33.

Markowitz had his own criminal defense practice in Palo Alto, California, and was the envy of his friends, he writes in an Opinionator column for the New York Times. But his “body started giving out one part at a time,” he wrote.

“First a shoulder, then my lower back, knee cartilage, neck vertebrae. Two groin hernia surgeries later, at 33 years old, I could not lift a bag of groceries, or sit without an orthopedic pillow. After 10 years as a law student and lawyer, working in a profession I didn’t like was taking its toll.”

Markowitz sold his practice and moved to Mexico. Though he told his mother where he was going, his mother took out a missing persons ad on Mexican television when he didn’t contact her for 10 days.

Two years later, Markowitz was “bored and broke” so he went to work as a civil attorney in Oakland, California.

He still wasn’t happy. When volunteering at a Sunday school, Markowitz discovered the joy of working with children. Once again Markowitz quit law practice, and returned to his mother’s home at the age of 37. His mother asked what he planned to do. “You know,” she told him, “you’re ruining your life.”

Markowitz’s first job after his return home was working as a party clown earning $25 a show. “It turned out that I thrived in a sphere of creativity and spontaneity,” Markowitz writes. Though his “clown gig was short-lived,” he started writing songs for kids, and found a new career.

“I’ve been entertaining children now for almost two decades as a musician,” Markowitz writes.” No longer do I flash power-of-attorney to withdraw my $10,000 retainer from a jailed client’s bank account. I wear jeans, and don’t frequent Nordstrom. But most of the time, I like waking up in the morning.”