Growing up, I used to love the A. A. Milne books.  Christopher Robin with his friends Owl, Piglet, Rabbit, Tigger, and, of course, that “Pooh Sticks” playing bear, Winnie the Pooh often accompanied me to bed in the evening as I read myself to sleep.  Of all of the characters in Robin’s menagerie, I liked Eeyore, that loveable, sighing pessimist of a donkey.  Even today as a construction attorney with kids in their 20s, the image of Eeyore, umbrella in hand, a cloud constantly overhead strikes a chord.

Why? Because even in the face of his constant downtrodden attitude, whether realism or pessimism, Eeyore carried on.  Eeyore never seemed to quit.  While he provided a droopy (though not truly sad) counterpoint to the constant sunny attitude of Piglet or the manic bounciness of Tigger, he seemed happiest when helping out.  Even through it all Eeyore had a spark of well hidden optimism that things would work out.

In many ways, as a construction counselor, I have that same Eeyore attitude.  I spend most of my day either dealing with problems that have occurred, or, if possible, helping construction clients anticipate and avoid issues through their contracts or advising on best practices.  It would be easy to stay in a negative frame of mind and get stuck with the notion that “Murphy was an optimist,” when my work life is spent considering what could go wrong on a construction project.  Whenever I start to get overly cynical about the world of construction contracting and my role as a construction attorney  I think about that hangdog donkey from the Winnie the Pooh books.  In short, I think “What would Eeyore do?”

After a quick breath, I think, “Yes, issues occur, but most projects work.”  My clients and other construction professionals in Virginia tend to be pragmatic problem solvers and most deal with the myriad small or large problems that happen in any large construction project in real time and do it well.  Throw in the help of an optimistic, though realistic, construction attorney, and with any luck no problem ends in expensive litigation or arbitration.  Even with the potential clouds on the legal horizon, at least this Virginia construction attorney remains ready to raise his umbrella and plug along, helping keep the storms at bay.

Thanks for listening to my thoughts today on all things Eeyore.

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