An Interns life...

Eleven months ago 8 kids came into my life that have made me smile, cry, be frustrated and finally above all else be very proud. They are my interns.....

As interns they are paid a poor wage, asked to work long hours, do all the jobs no one else wants to do in the promise that at the end of 12 months they may attain a residency in their chosen specialty. Now I never did one of these internships nor would I ever want to do one. In the year just gone I have watched them grow and mature into not just the vets that they should be but into the people I know them already to be.

As the year comes to an end my only hope for them is their continued success and growth as adults and even though it's been at times tough on both parties I wouldn't have traded this experience for anything in the world....

To them I wish them all the best in their travels with my favorite Irish blessing....

"May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind always be at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

and rains fall soft upon your fiends.

And until we meet again, 

May god hold you in the palm of his hand."

I was once told that there is no one soul mate for anyone......There are many soulmates and you just happen by them in life.....

Now I may not be a smart man. Nor have I been lucky enough to experience what most of my friends have, to find their one true someone.... However, I still do believe. I believe that there is one person out there and that is your soulmate in life.....Now that may be naive and I accept that, but in a day and an age where there is so much negativity and there is so much unrest in the rest of the world I think that sometimes having faith in something is worthwhile. I choose to believe that there is a soulmate for each of us in life. Some people have been fortunate enough to find that person to walk in life with while others of us continue to search.......Just the thoughts of a madman.....

"My heart shoots into my throat every time I think about his loping walk, or catch sight of some floppy brown hair on a boy - but it's never him, and each time it isn't, my heart does a reverse trajectory down into the very pit of my stomach" 

Author unknown.

Settling

Three summers, 2 hurricanes and numerous explanations about my accent and country of origin, I feel that Florida is now my home. For a long time, I travelled, settled down and then became restless again. I would stay for a few months or years in a single place and then the bug would hit me again. Now, this is great when you are young and the world and adventures are calling you but as you get older you wish for stability or just a place to hang your hat.

Florida for me has a draw. It's old world southern charm and traditions are what I have grown to love. The people I have met here are some of the most genuine that I have met in all of my travels. I have some special places in the world that I have lived and visited that will always pull at my heart strings.

In truth, I don't think that I will ever get the travel bug out of my system but I want to set roots down, make connections and find lost connections again. Above all else I think it's important to enjoy life and make the best out of it. There is no point in looking back at what could have been......

Anthony Hopkins one of my favorite actors once said:

 "None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an afterthought. Eat the delicious food, Walk in the sunshine. Jump in the ocean. Say the truth that you're carrying in your heart like a hidden treasure. Be silly. Be Kind. Be weird. There's no time for anything else"

20/20 Hindsight

Everyone has heard the saying that "hindsight is 20/20" and it is very easy to know the right thing to do after something has happened. However, we are all human, and what I have learned is that hindsight provides us with the opportunity to learn from our mistakes and better ourselves in the hope we do not repeat the same mistakes. Everyone has made their fair share of regrettable decisions in life and I will, as always, continue to be a work in progress. For the most part I am pretty happy with who I am in life.

Self reflection is important, but it is also important not to dwell on the past because we are unable to change the past. Knowing why you made previous decisions and the motivations for these decisions is just as important as the action itself.....

Looking back is not a waste of time, but looking back and wishing things were different is, as you cannot change the past. Absorb it, catalog it - whatever - just make the most out of what you have now and try not to make the same mistakes in life over and over again..... 

"You can't go back and change the beginning but you can start where you are and change the ending" 

C. S. Lewis

Remembrance

Memorial Day is a "remembrance day" of all the men and women that went to war and sacrificed, sometimes their lives, in the search of peace and freedom. It stems back as far as 1866 to Waterloo, New York, where it was first celebrated.

So what does this really mean? Well for the most part every freedom that we take for granted these days stems from the historical sacrifices made. We sometimes forget, in life, the sacrifices that have been made so that we can enjoy our freedoms. These more often than not are taken too much for granted. This weekend as you enjoy these freedoms "please" remember the fallen, if only for a brief minute.... Remember the sacrifices that they have made.

President Reagan once spoke the words "Today is the day we put aside to remember fallen heroes and to pray that no heroes will ever have to die for us again. It's a day of thanks for the valor of others, a day to remember the spledor of America and those of her children who rest in this cemetary and others. It's a day to be with the family and remember." 

Worklife balance and controlling the tide

Balance is important in life. If one aspect is out of kilter in life more than likely it will affect all other aspects.

Veterinary medicine, for me, is a career one that I am quite proud of as I get to work with some of the kindest and most compassionate human beings, where the monetary return does not reflect the dedication of the professionals that constantly give it their all day in and day out. But that is just one aspect to my life.....

I also love to travel, do photography, go out with friends to eat.....Over time my priorities have changed. Initially it was all about the work. It was like I was addicted. Hooked on a drug that I got a high out of.

Over time and twenty years later, the high, although still there, has competition....Personal focus is important "working to live and not living to work" is important. I find myself wanting to travel more, spend time with loved ones and take the time to just be me. Don't get me wrong, I still love what I do and that will never change but if someone gives me an opportunity to travel and have a new adventure I'm packing my bag straight away.

My point is don't let the demands of a profession dictate be who you are. Balance your life with taking the time to smell the roses whether it's by yourself or with a loved one/ones.....

"The more often you decline invitations to spend with friends or family because you are too busy with either work or other activities, the more you realize that your life is not in balance."