A silly little blog for me to drop the excrement of my mind.
-or- jumping around the good ol' USA
Published on November 21, 2005 By BlueDev In Life Journals
One of the great things about medicine is the whole educational process. It is singular in the way it works, and is just a joy to be a part of. Really. Trust me. I promise.

To be honest, it is hell. I thought applying to medical school was awful. I was naive. Enter residency. At least with med school you ultimately were the one who chose where to go. But that is another blog altogether.

Looking on the bright side, applying for residency is giving me the opportunity to visit places I never have been to before. That can be pretty cool. Of course, you usually are a little too stressed about the interview, and then too tired from the whole ordeal to really appreciate it. But I like to be positive.

This past weekend, my wife and I visited New England for the first time. It was beautiful. It was also friggin' cold. But beautiful nonetheless. My parents generously decided to fly out to visit us/take care of the children so my wife could go on the interview with me. It turned into our first weekend without children in years. It was great.

But sitting there, Friday night, in a town that just felt completely foreign to me (remember folks, I grew up in the west and have been living in the south for a while) I felt a little overwhelmed. I could wake up on January 23rd, open my email, and suddenly be told I have to move my family to a completely new and unknown place. That sense of not being in control is uncomfortable, at the very least. After a long day of interviewing, many sleepless nights (dang flu!) and just feeling worn out, it was more than uncomfortable. It just sucked.

But my wife helped pull me through it. She is amazing, and I can't imagine going through this without her.

So I will think of it as an adventure. Yeah, adventure. That is what it is.

Right?

Comments
on Nov 21, 2005
I could wake up on January 23rd, open my email, and suddenly be told I have to move my family to a completely new and unknown place. That sense of not being in control is uncomfortable, at the very least.


I can definitely sympathize with you on that. And you know, I think not knowing is worse than even unwanted news. When you find out, you have something to work with and you can build up positives in your mind. When you don't have any info to go on though...it's torture.

So I will think of it as an adventure. Yeah, adventure. That is what it is.


Absolutely. It's memories. Stories to tell. Wacky or awful experiences made tolerable by sharing them with a loved one.
on Nov 21, 2005

I could wake up on January 23rd, open my email, and suddenly be told I have to move my family to a completely new and unknown place. That sense of not being in control is uncomfortable, at the very least.

Welcome to the Army!  Oh wait!  Wrong blog!  Just thinking of when my step father came home and told us we were moving from San Fran to Frankfurt Germany - in 2 weeks!

on Nov 22, 2005
That sense of not being in control is uncomfortable, at the very least.


Some people do well with a loss of control, as in, it is wildly exciting to experience things as they come, and others flail at it, unable to surrender to the inevitable...
sounds like you cope at whatever's handed to you, and you make the best of things.

Good stuff.
And good luck.
on Nov 22, 2005
An adventure? Absolutely! Looking at it this way is great because as said above, you will have stories to tell, quite a lot to show and tell the kids. And your wife being there with you is oh so wonderful as you know. It's great she was able to go with you. I hear New England is cold but it is beautiful.

Picking up and moving with your family to a place where you've never been, except briefly, no family within a 100 miles radius might seem undaunting and is a bit scary. In your heart if it is the right thing to do you will know it. Just trust in yourself and trust in your God and let the dominoes fall where they may (as I love to say!). In the end it will all work itself out. You'll be alright, you know that already Peter. Good luck and I hope you get the residency you really want!
on Nov 22, 2005
I can definitely sympathize with you on that.


I bet you can Tex. Just another reason I respect you and your family so much. Fortunately I only have to do this once.

And you know, I think not knowing is worse than even unwanted news.


Fortunately I have some control over the situation, so it won't be entirely unwanted. But I know what you mean about the not knowing. It is a killer.

Wacky or awful experiences made tolerable by sharing them with a loved one.


So far they haven't been bad, just exhausting. Thanks for the comments.
on Nov 22, 2005
Welcome to the Army! Oh wait! Wrong blog!


Heh, no army here. That was part of the plan.
on Nov 22, 2005
sounds like you cope at whatever's handed to you, and you make the best of things.


Thanks Nic. We try. Most of the time I feel we do pretty well. I think I was just exhausted after a long day of traveling, a longer day of interviewing (which is just so mentally taxing!), that I slipped a bit. Thanks for stopping by!
on Nov 22, 2005
In your heart if it is the right thing to do you will know it. Just trust in yourself and trust in your God and let the dominoes fall where they may (as I love to say!). In the end it will all work itself out


That is the key FS. We feel that whatever is best for our family will work out. I know there are those who think that is delusional, but we really trust that God will take care of us and things will work out for the best in the end. I appreciate your comment.