My web pal Jen wrote about her nearly-4-year-old daughter proclaiming she was going to be a doctor when she grows up.... and then maybe a butterfly, or perhaps Santa. You can read it here and it got me thinking about what it is we're born to be.
When our mutual friend Meg headed off to vet school - which I remember reading once is harder than medical school since your patients can't TELL you what's wrong - everyone who knows her said, "Well, duh!!" She was born for it. Not just because of her love for animals. But because of her love of trivia and vocabulary and obscure facts, because of her ability to study and learn, and because of her incredible determination.
So let's take it down a notch. Down from veterinary medicine. What is it that makes me happy? What is it that everyone has always turned to me to ask for? What is it that I like the most? Geeky it may be, but it is organization. Planning. Predicting the timing of a thing (any thing). Confidently answering a question that starts with, "When am I..." or "Who will be at the..." or "How long does it take to..." or "What are the details again?" So it isn't surgery, but golly gee, when I pat my neat pile of folders and give them to my coworkers, complete with the staff, timing, drivers, directions, handoffs, timetables, dockets, guests, talking points and background info for a busy day ahead, I am about the happiest little soul in the world. It is a pure form of satisfaction, geekiness be damned.
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Little do you know how comforting and bolstering it was to read this post. It has been a brutal month of veterinary school. And although I'm not doubting my decision to be here, I am plagued by evil whispers that perhaps I'm not able to cut it. Deep down I know that I can and will make it through. But it was wonderful to read that someone else thinks I will too.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing you were born for (besides exercising your awesome organizational powers) is the ability to delve into topics that make most people uncomfortable. You raise them up out of the shadows, dust 'em off, and say "Let's talk about this". That is a gift.