Finding Light

Good afternoon!

I was leaving the hospital this afternoon (a rare treat on surgery, but apparently normal on the medicine service) and found myself enjoying a little extra pep in my step.  It's a cold, wet, and gloomy day in  Charlotte, but there's certainly bright light in the future.  In residency, and life in general too, it's easy to get catch yourself focusing only on the future - the next Friday, vacation, holidays, etc.  Working 80 hours a week during the winter without seeing the light of day for sometimes weeks on end is just plain frustrating.  And while I've griped about people who don't live in the moment and wish away the day, knowing that there is light at the end of the tunnel certainly makes the tough times more tolerable.

So, without rambling any longer on the importance of living in the moment, here's a few bright lights in my future!

March:  NYC!  Shopping, sights, runs in the park, and great food.  After spending a month in the city for an ortho rotation last year, I've been in need of a return visit.

April:  Chicago.  I'll be traveling with the 4 other ortho interns in my class for an Orthopaedic Trauma Association fracture course.  Lots of learning during the day, but lots of fun to be had at night.

And drumroll please . . . . . the most exciting news . . . . .

May: WESTERN CARIBBEAN CRUISE!!

Sunday afternoon I'm sitting at work and receive a text from Mom.  It reads "Leaving on a W Caribbean cruise on Carnival Dream in May. Hope you'll join us".  My first thought - "seriously??  am I dreaming??  is this some kind of cruel joke?? of course I'm coming". After some frantic texting back and forth, I confirmed that it is, in fact, a reality. My brother and his long-time girlfriend are graduating from college in May (him with a degree in business, her in art) and they've been trying to come up with a plan for a graduation trip.  After lots of pondering, my parents have planned this incredible 7-day cruise.  We'll be making stops in Cozumel, Belize, Isla Roatan, and Costa Maya.  I haven't been on a cruise since I was 4 years old, so this will be quite the treat.  Not to mention the fact that it will be a week long break during an otherwise brutal general surgery month.  I can feel the sunlight and see the tan lines already!!

So for the next several months when the going gets tough and I find myself frustrated that there aren't enough hours in the day (particularly for workouts and sleep), I will instead focus on the excitement that lies ahead.  Pretty fun travels, don't you think?!