Its Worth The Pain

We live in a world of constant progress and emotion. Stand still for a second and you’ll be left behind. But as hard as we try to move forward, as tempting as it is to never look back, the past always comes back to bite us in the ass. And as history shows us again, and again, those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.

Sometimes the past is something you can’t let go of.

Sometimes the past is something we’ll do anything to forget.

And sometimes we learn something new about the past that changes everything we know about the present.

Medical professionals... we aren’t complacent people. We don’t put our feet up. We don’t sit still. Whatever the game is, we like to win. And once we win, we get a new game. We push ourselves, residents, attendings... it doesn’t matter how much we achieve. If you’re a climber, there’s always another mountain.

All the pictures you ever see of mountain climbers are from the top of the mountain. They are smiling, ecstatic, triumphant. They don’t take pictures along the way because... who wants to remember that?!?!

We push ourselves because we have to, not because we like it. The relentless climb, the pain and anguish of taking it to the next level – nobody takes pictures of that, nobody wants to remember. We just want to remember the view from the top, the breathtaking moment at the edge of the world.

That’s what keeps us climbing and it’s worth the pain, that’s the crazy part.

It’s worth anything.

Have a fabulous time, friend. Travel safe, stay well.