06/07/2026
A very thought provoking article. Hope you enjoy.
Life’s feast is often not served equally
op-ed by Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson.
“My salad days, when I was green in judgment, cold in blood…” —William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra.
That quote has stuck with me since I heard it in high school. At the time, it grabbed me because I was about to enter my own ‘salad days.’ The years when a person has not had enough life experience to have many cares or firm opinions on the world around them.
At the time, the analogy made perfect sense to me. If high school and college were my “salad days,” then childhood was the appetizer, adulthood the main course, and retirement the long-awaited dessert. And if we're fortunate, life grants us one final cup of coffee at the end of the meal. A chance to reminisce and reflect on all the courses that came before it.
Thinking of my high school analogy now, I can tell how much of a nerd I was. It also revealed just how “green in judgment” and “cold in blood” I truly was, because that analogy only really makes sense in a perfect world, one where everyone gets an equal chance to sit at the table.
We all know that’s not accurate.
Many never make it to that first course. We see it around the world, and right here at home. As a prosecutor, I have witnessed it more times than I care to count. Too often, I see parents burying their children, addictions consuming futures, and circumstances denying people opportunities before they ever get a chance to get called to dinner.
Then others can’t afford to dine. No “green in judgment.” Life serves them the main course, with no chance to experience the frivolities of life. Instead they are overworked, underpaid, and burnt out. They aren’t garnished with the ability to grow. Instead, they get bills, bureaucracy, and barriers. And they are told they should like it.
I have seen young men in my courtroom, not much older than I was when I first heard this quote, make decisions that closed doors for years. They may still be in their “salad days,” but they carry the struggles far beyond their years. Bad choices, often fed by illegal substances, caused them to miss their meal.
The problem with this metaphor is that we assume everyone gets served or served equally. In reality, life’s feast isn’t evenly plated, or at times plated at all.
So why do I dwell on this line of Shakespeare’s that I doubt he ever meant to carry this much weight?
Because this phrase can seem so true for so many, including Shakespeare, but be so false for the vast majority.
As a prosecutor, I have seen far too many bad decisions lead to missed experiences. I have also seen opportunities narrowed by poverty, addiction, violence, lack of education, and sometimes just bad luck. We know personal responsibility matters, but so does opportunity.
Helping others helps us all. That is why those of us who get a chance at the table should care about both. We should care that others have access to education, health care, and dignity as they age. We should fight not only for people to be able to survive but also to thrive and live somewhere safe, secure, and full of opportunity.
No matter what course we are in, we should remember to give thanks for each meal we receive. We should never forget those who were never afforded the same opportunities as some of us. And we should remember that whatever meal we are served, life’s greatest blessing is the people we get to share it with.
And if we are blessed enough to make it to that final cup of coffee, maybe its warmth can extend to those still waiting for their first bite.
No one should ever leave this world hungry.
Not for food.
Not for love.
Not for a chance.
