There's Your Trouble

"So what's going to be your toughest class this semester?" 

It was a familiar question. My dad had asked me the same thing a couple days before asking my brother. The two of them launched into a discussion about electrical engineering (I think ?) and we continued our drive through the Arizona desert up to Payson. 

As my summer came to an end, most people asked me what I'd miss most about being home, or what I was most excited to get back to. But my dad asked what would be my biggest challenge. Not because he was trying to bum me out or kill my blissfully school-free summer buzz. But because that's how my dad deals with challenges. Head on. And that's how he is still teaching me to handle them. 

My dad is someone I can always count on. For support, for financial advice, for comedic relief. For everything and anything. He is the person I call when things are great. And he is the person I call when things aren't so great. And throughout my childhood (and early adulthood), he has taught me that challenges are just that. Challenges. Not impasses. Not impossibilities. But obstacles to overcome. I've learned that there is power in realizing what my faults and weaknesses are. By recognizing where I've stumbled before, I can catch myself before I fall next time. 

So, here I sit, on the eve of my first day as a second year medical student. I'm gonna trust my dad again on this one and tackle this beast head on, one day at a time. It's worked this far. :)