Third Block of 2nd Year

Tomorrow I'll start my third month of my second year of fellowship. The past two months have gone by quickly.

Last Friday I was on top of the world - I had caught up on emails, patient logs, and held several productive research meetings during my research time. It felt like a great wrap to a month in the clinics. Then I experienced a setback. I got some late day feedback from a preceptor (who also helps me with my research) that I did not expect. It was well-meaning and I know it'll help me be a better doctor, but it was disappointing. In the midst of reading that feedback, I got a call from my brother. He was having a bad week at work, and he made some disparaging remarks toward me and my work. This really piled on at the worst time. The rest of Friday I really felt sad and had a very hard time sleeping. I write this all so that I can remember that the road to improvement is often paved with setbacks.

Today was good for my soul and allowed me to reset from the setbacks of Friday and fatigue of Saturday. I slept in late this morning, had a wonderful breakfast, and checked out a local U.U. church. The message there today was that "We are all artists, but sometimes we are messy and make mistakes." Yet despite that, we should always persevere. This is exactly what I needed to hear and it put everything back in to context for me. I am incredibly lucky to be living in San Diego, pursuing heme/onc, and working each day to improve the lives of patients. It's what I dreamed of back when I was a pre-medical student. 

Tomorrow starts a new block with many new opportunities to improve my practice. I am looking forward to it.