Moment: Sunday, February 13th, 2022 at 4:47 PM
Friend: "So do you still blog?" Me: "...well I guess it's been about six months, so that would be a no."
Wow, it's been almost six months since I lasted posted on this blog, but to summarize the last half of 2021, it was a whirlwind of finishing my master's, starting medical school, and learning more in the last six months than I think I have learned in my entire K-12 education put together. It has been the most incredible experience to finally become a medical student and be in the stage of my life that I have been working towards for the last eight years.
But even despite these changes, some things never change, and just like last year, I'm posting my "New Year" post a month and a half into the new year. February 13th has unofficially become my "New Bullet Journal Day" because as we Aggies say, if something happens twice in a row, it's a tradition.
My promise verse for this year comes from a passage in which Paul is saying a prayer for the Ephesians, and verse 16 says:
"I pray that He would grant you according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in your inner being."
My uncle Facetimed our family and hand-picked each of our promise verses for this year, and as soon as my verse was picked out and we read it aloud, everyone said, "That's exactly what you need!" And it's true - this first semester of medical school took EVERY last ounce of strength I had, and then some more that could have only come from God, because I have never gone through anything as difficult yet rewarding as medical school. This verse is encouraging to me because the riches of God's glory are innumerable, so strength from the Lord is more than I could ever imagine.
The fact that this verse is a prayer that Paul prays to God on behalf of the Ephesians is such a sweet reminder of the countless people who have been praying for me as I go on this new journey to become a doctor. So many friends and family have reached out to ask me how school is going and how they can be praying for me, and that has truly been an incredible source of support and encouragement for me, because I am constantly reminded that I'm not on this journey alone.
For my song for this year, I chose the song "Promises" by Maverick City Music, because it has become part of my pre-exam routine to sit in my car before I walk into the building and just have a moment of peace while listening to this song. The chorus goes like this:
Though the storms may come and the winds may blow
I'll remain steadfast
And let my heart learn, when You speak a word
It will come to pass
I know that medical school is my calling, but sometimes it's easy to lose sight of the goal in the midst of the hectic day-to-day responsibilities, assignments, and assessments. This song reminds me that even though all of these difficult things come my way, it's important to stand strong and remember why I'm here. I also know that God has placed me here for a reason, and He has shown me that being in medicine is His will for my life, so if He has spoken it, it will truly come to pass.
The verse and song talk about being strengthened and steadfast, but I also sometimes need a reminder to just rest and take a breather. It is so easy to convince myself that if I'm not studying during every single waking moment, I'm doing something wrong, so I decided to make only one New Year's Resolution this year: to spend 1000 hours outside. I'm not a super outdoorsy person, but during these last two years of the pandemic, I've learned that there is something so restorative about being out in nature and unplugged from technology.
I wanted to make a resolution to get outside more, and although 1000 hours in a year may sound like a lot, it is less than 3 hours a day. I made a chart with 1000 boxes, so I can track my hours outside an see my progress. The sticker at the top says "Let me in!" with a pillow because the weather is pretty cold right now and all I want to do is just curl up in a warm blanket :) The sticker at the bottom says "Let me out!" with a flower because I'm hoping that 1000 hours spent outside will turn me into an outdoorsy person! Also they just went really well with these meme that is circulating all over our med school and describes our feelings perfectly -
I'm really excited to see what 2022 has in store for me, and if I were to come up with a second resolution, it would be to post more on this blog so that I can write about it! Writing is one of my favorite creative outlets, so let's not go another six months without catching up :)
