Someday Doctor

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.

~Henry Ford

It occurs to me that although we are a very polarized society, we are not really all that different. With few exceptions, it is not our values that separate us. We all value “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Rather, what separates us is the debate regarding the mechanisms by which we achieve these values and the nature of the role our government should play in these pursuits.

It’s never too late to be what you might have been.

~George Eliot

In which I discuss my recent decision to abandon my career and go to medical school.

I’ve taken the necessary placement tests, and now I’m officially registered for my fall classes at Texas Tech. Thus begins my long journey towards becoming a physician. I’ve been blathering on about it for over 7 years now, and now it’s finally starting to sink in that it’s going to happen! I’ve got quite the road ahead of me, and while I’m eagerly looking forward to it, I know that it’s not going to be easy. Nothing worth doing ever is.

Biology, Chemistry, and Physics . . . all in one fun-filled semester!!! That’s a lot of labs! Good thing I spent all summer working through a Chemistry book on my own. At least ONE of my classes should be an easy A!

So here are my lofty goals for the next 6 years:

1. Make straight A’s on the rest of my undergrad classes.
2. Score exceptionally well on the MCAT, despite the fact that I will be taking it BEFORE I take Org Chemistry.
3. Get accepted to the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center School of Medicine.
4. Keep God and family at the top of my priority list while I struggle through the long hours required by med school.
5. Graduate at the top of my med school class.

Failure is not an option.

In other news, a friend of mine told me that she recently used me as an example when she was talking to some teenagers about pursuing their dreams. When she mentioned that I was 31 years old, one of the teenagers said, “Hey, if an old man can do it, then so can I!”

Glad I can still be an inspiration in my geriatric years.