Metaphors & Medicine

The lights were shining into my eyes as I scanned the crowd. To my left and right stood my classmates, my future colleagues, maybe those who would be my friends.  The light remained in my eyes as I tried to find the people who I wanted to see the most, the ones who helped me make it up onto this stage, whose support carried me through each obstacle and barrier that stood between myself and this moment. "Manar Mohammad," the announcer called. I pulled my arms back to make it easier for the physician standing behind me to slip the crisp, white sleeves over my arms. He draped it over my shoulders, straightened the back, and let it go. The white coat slid comfortably onto my upper body and bared its weight onto my shoulders. I felt goosebumps go down my spine as I realized that this weight would change as the years went on. In this moment, it was as light as a feather, allowing me to fly onto cloud 9 and be so completely content  in this moment. "So what do you think...

Sometimes I wish I could see the future. Okay, not sometimes. A lot of times. I wish I could find out how this semester of medical school will end. I wish I could know if my loved ones will live long enough to see my children's children. I wish I could know if a decision I am making now will be one that I come to regret. I wish I could see my future self, to see if she has grown more, or if something has happened that caused her to crumble. Mostly, I want to see if she is fulfilled, if she is content . I want to know if her heart is full of satisfaction, if she made the right choice in her path, the right choice in her friends, and if she loved the right people. I want to know if she is content with herself.  We are currently in our third block of the semester, meaning that after these set of exams, we are free for winter break (two weeks off, yipee!). Somehow, from where I am, I can't really see to that point. Medical school is all about taking life day by day becau...