PRESIDENT'S COLUMN DAVID COURREGES, UNIVERSITY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
’Tis the Season: Be a Good Human!
I
t has been a couple of years since we’ve gotten to experience the most wonderful time of year in all of its glory, but from what I can recall we have a lot to look forward to. There is, of course, the annual Thanksgiving Day game between Texas and Texas A&M, the lighting of the magnificent Capitol tree, and walking the Trail of Lights. Oh, and I cannot wait to see A Charlie Brown Christmas on ABC. Some traditions just can’t be broken! Wait! I am sorry. I have just been informed that it has been ten years since Justin Tucker and the Longhorns last played the Aggies. I am also told that the Capitol tree is now a “cone,” we’re driving the Trail of Lights again (so retro!), and the Peanuts Gang is now streaming on Apple TV. This has undoubtedly been the longest two years of my life!
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AUSTINLAWYER | NOVEMBER 2021
Fear not, Linus Van Pelt! I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, for the spirit and the joy of the Season remains! We do live in Austin, Texas, after all, where a decades-old tradition can be created over lunch. We can still take a spin under the Zilker Tree. We can be dazzled by the light show at Mozart’s (nightly beginning in November). We can shop at the Junior League of Austin’s A Christmas Affair (Nov. 17 – 21), still one of my favorites! There’s ice skating at Whole Foods, A Christmas Carol at the Zachary Scott Theatre (Nov. 17 – Jan. 2), and The Nutcracker at the Long Center (Dec. 4 – 23). As I already mentioned, we can also drive the Trail of Lights, just as we did in the 80s (Nov. 27 – Dec. 31) or drive down to Johnson City and witness the wonderland that is the PEC Holiday Lights (Nov. 27 – Jan. 3). Most importantly, we can still all partake in my most favorite Austin tradition: spreading joy and love to others, or maybe more appropriately, practicing being a good human! What does it mean to be a good human? For that I go to my daughter. She would say, being kind, being thoughtful, and doing the right thing. The phrase
(from left): Ashlyn (niece), David Courreges, Brooklyn (niece), McKenna (daughter), Cera (niece), and Savannah (niece).
has become somewhat of a motto within our family. It began when our friend Shannon gave us T-shirts with the simple, yet powerful, statement and continues in trying to honor the phrase in everything that we do. To me the concept is the very spirit of the holiday season. So how can you spread love and joy? The first thing that comes to my mind is this thought: Be there for others. This season of hope and happiness can be, for many, just the opposite. We are engaged in a profession with heightened feelings of stress and anxiety; we have chosen to take on the
burdens of others. This difficult task can often be overwhelming. Sometimes a friendly and understanding voice can help. Be that voice. Of course, the Texas Lawyers Assistance Program (tlaphelps.org, 1.800.343.TLAP) is available if a safe and confidential resource is ever needed. You can also volunteer. While the opportunities in Austin are too numerous to list, I once again enlist my daughter, the researcher laureate of the family, to give us her favorite Austin-area charities that would love to be the recipients of your volunteer time. You will find her recommenda-
