Pre-Break Reflection (PBR)

Hey all, it has certainly been a while since I've written here, and I have taken the time to really use my lunch break and by definition study break to give a life update or quasi-reflection post.

Besides the shared acronym between my post and Pabst Blue Ribbon, I have managed to separate myself from many other graduate students (medical and otherwise), in the fact that I do not rely on alcohol for a good time.  A seemingly simple and sensible sentiment, but an important one to make nonetheless.  Have I gone dry?  By no means.  But there is a difference between alcohol consumption and alcohol reliance.  That being said, let's reflect:

This first semester of medical school has really put me through many trials.  Maybe not in the way that I originally envisioned.  I came into medical school expecting that it would be very similar to my college experience, with the lone exception of needing to work myself much harder to keep up with the increased information and decreased time to learn it.  However, I have soon found that I not only spend less time on studying, I am enjoying the more fundamental things in life that would contribute to happiness.  I have learned many new things, not only medicine related, but rather more about myself.

One would always want to believe that you know yourself better than anyone else.  Aside from God (which is an unfair example, because he is all-knowing and all-seeing), though the statement may be true to a certain extent, it doesn't necessarily mean you know yourself well.  There are certain aspects of my person that I will refuse to compromise, certain activities that I must have as part of my daily, weekly, monthly, yearly routine.  I will always be a sports fan.  I will always be athletically active.  I will always strive to be more Christ-centered, and I will always strive to take medicine to the next level.

I have also learned things that I can let go, or I thought were important, but in the grand scheme of things slowly phased out of my concerns and priorities.  I originally believed that I was a very undiverse individual, and that I had to have friends only in the Asian crowd.  Not only has medical school tested those boundaries, they have challenged me to really reach out and force me to not be in my comfort zone.  And to be perfectly, almost brutally honest, I am glad I was tested in that way.  I can safely say that my best friends here are definitely not Asian, nor do I see that changing any time in the future.

Finally, I realized to appreciate the things that really mean something to me.  The support I get from family, friends, loved ones, and all of those meaningful relationships that I spent so long over the course of my stay in St. Louis to build.  I got to spend time talking to good friends on the phone, and it hit me that it really doesn't matter where your friends go and end up, true friends will always remain so, and those relationships are something to always hold onto dearly.  The ability of being able to pick up the phone, call up a guy that I hadn't talked to or been in close proximity to for an extended period of time, and talk for hours about all the things that have happened in each other's lives is simply put, amazing.  The conversation seemed so natural it was like it had never stopped in the first place.  I find myself "catching up" with people much more so during this educational transition than I did when I went from high school to college.  It made me think of the relationships that I built while in high school, and the yearning for a reunion and "catching up" with those people too.  Only time (and a good, long break) will remediate this.

With all that said and done, I want to wish everyone a great holiday break:  Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Cheers!