HFL football draft

Well, I survived my first week of medical school. It was overwhelming, scary, busy, and so much fun (in a nerdy sort of way). It is also the most difficult thing I've ever done. Yikes, I am seriously drained. I've actually been going to bed between 10:30-11 pm each night, which I didn't ever think I'd do on a consistent basis. I guess that means I'm officially getting old or something.

This weekend was the Heartland Football League (HFL) draft--the football league that my daddy dearest and his friends are in. The HFL is entering it's 23rd season (or 22nd...? I really don't know, but I guess it doesn't matter for the purpose of this blog post) and it's been a huge part of my life over the years. It was great to see some of the guys whom I haven't seen in a few years and, as always, I love the ever-so-mature trashtalk that accompanies the process.

The draft was something that I didn't realize I needed, but ended up being so refreshing. It reminded me so much of my childhood and brought back several great memories. When I was younger, most of "the guys" lived in or near Hastings, so I saw them quite frequently. Since then many of them have moved away with their families and I have only been able to see them once or twice a year at most. Though many of them aren't physically present in my life anymore, they've made such a big impact on me and they will never leave my heart.

Actually the reason I'm so interested in medicine is because of one of my HFL family members. When I was 8 years old or so, my dad's friend's son was diagnosed with Autism. I remember when my dad told me about the diagnosis and I had so many questions. I wanted to know everything there was to know about Autism and the Autism Spectrum of disorders. I remember, as an 8 year old, looking on the internet and reading different articles about the disorder--yes, I truly have been a nerd my entire life. Anyway, I also remember being upset because of his diagnosis. I thought it was unfair that the general population would look down upon him and think that he was "stupid," "weird," "awkward," etc, because I already knew at that point that he was seriously smart. He can quote tv shows and movies like nobody's business (a skill of which I am seriously jealous), he's involved in swimming and bowling and he's just generally awesome. I do not doubt that he faces several obstacles hourly which I've never even considered, but he is all the smarter for being able to overcome them.

It was throughout this whole process of learning about Autism that I had my first thoughts of wanting to be in the medical profession. Although I'm not sure that I want to specialize with Autism specifically anymore, I hold all of the autistic children and adults that I know very close to my heart. I am glad that we are learning more about this spectrum of disorders and I hope that the research will shed light on them to remove the negative stigma associated with them.

That "little boy" is now 16, a junior in high school and towers over both of his parents (although truthfully I'm not sure how hard this is to accomplish ;) ). His smile still melts my heart whenever I see pictures of him. Although I didn't get to see him this weekend, I caught up with his dad. It was so wonderful to hear all about he and his "baby" sister. Not only that, I realized as I looked around, that each of those men have been supporting and cheering me on from the sidelines for my entire life. They have been as integral to my journey as many of my professors and mentors have. I'm not sure this realization could have come at a more perfect time, really.

Medical school is challenging, as it should be, which I was fully expecting. But it's also still something that you deeply question whether you're actually doing the right thing by being here (or if you're even capable of finishing). I am so glad I had a brief re-energizing reminder of why I dreamed about becoming a doctor all those years ago over this first weekend.

Saturday is our first exam. I am utterly terrified for it, but also looking forward to it being over. I'm planning on spending this long weekend relaxing at the lake (no studying, woohoo!) and spending time with family and friends. After this, I won't have another break until Thanksgiving (gulp!) so I plan to fully take advantage of it.

Until I write again, adios!