halfway

mood: cheery, no more work...
state i'm in: mashin' it up one time!
tune: jay-j & mark grant feat. latrice barnett 'love is'.


reaching halfway through any course is a bit of a milestone; halfway through med is all the more significant in so far as that it heralds an end to primarily academic study and ushers in one's years of clinical training - we are now truly 'doctors-in-training'. this makes me glad, although i do have almost as strong a feelings of apprehension as excitement. but really, there is only usefulness to be found in entertaining one set of thoughts.

the following excerpt from a work by writer bruce durbin sort of captures the mood, and the picture immediately below certainly seizes a moment spent celebrating it... godspeed!




have you ever crossed a river? no, not using a bridge, but rather venturing into the rushing current using only your legs? as you step into the flowing water, the current will attempt to carry you downstream. the rocks, made smooth by countless centuries of rushing water, are slippery and your footing is uncertain.

as you look down into the rushing water, while you're standing still, the movement of the water, sweeping around your legs, invites you to follow the flowing water downstream. you become entranced with the flowing water. the water's movement forms multiple patterns as it moves effortlessly over rocks. you try to see into the deep pools of darkened water. all around you, there is the motion of the flowing water.

as you move further across the river, you reach a point where it is as dangerous to return to the shore from which you abandoned, as it is to continue on your journey to the other side.

as you stand still in the moving water considering which way to venture, the water rushes on. in order to start your journey from the middle of the river to one bank or the other, you must re-start the precarious journey. the current has not subsided and will attempt to carry you downstream. the rocks remain smooth and slippery. your footing will still be uncertain.

you have ventured into a flowing river. now, the question forms in your mind:

"how long can i remain in the current of a rushing river, contemplating which way to venture?"

excluding the possibility that the water will be miraculously stopped upstream from you, ceasing the flow of the water and creating dry land, you will be forced to either attempt to reach the far shore or the shore that you left.

staying in the middle of the river is not an option.

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image: paula hade