June Bug

Three quarters down, four to go! This quarter was by far the most stressful for so many reasons. The basic sciences are now all behind us and we move in to more clinically focused topics. A year from now I will be taking boards and getting ready to move out of Kirksville to my clinical site (fingers crossed everything goes as planned). How fast it goes. The past few weeks have been filled with skills practicals, studying like mad, copious amounts of coffee (thank you Costa Rican Cafe for getting me through med school), a horrible OTM final, a block exam, block finals, first year testing, camping with classmates, thinking you have all kinds of diseases from all the bugs on said camping trip (microbiology was this quarter), and an international medicine conference.

I have been doing a lot of reflecting lately about this year (school, family, friends, etc.). What would I do differently? What were my biggest regrets? What were my greatest accomplishments? How have the events and choices of the last 12 months impacted where I am today and where I will be in the future? How have my actions forced the hands of others? Many of these didn't have simple answers and some couldn't be answered at all. There are so many things that happened during this crazy busy year that I never saw happening. The biggest thing I took away is that there were things that convinced people they weren't loved and that couldn't be further from the truth. It was because you are loved. It is easier to walk away sometimes.

So on to summer and a much needed break. Lots of family time, more stamps in my passport, adventures with friends and little love bug, my first Fourth of July home in four years, a potential stop in New York, and lots of outdoor time. To wrap up "summer", I get to do my two week preceptorship in a family practice clinic near St. Louis. So much to do before we start back in July. Better get started.