Miscellaneous

There have been so many things going on lately that don't really fall into a specific category. I'm not really sure they fall into my journey of becoming a healthcare professional either, but they are still things that I want to write about. So here's a post about the miscellaneous things in my life.

Taize. I've written about Taize before (cliff notes version: Taize is a ecumenical monastic community in the Burgundy region of France. The worship style popularized there is filled with silence and meditative musical chanting). I adore that place so stinkin' much. Among plenty of awesome things, you get chocolate sandwiches for breakfast. So. Awesome! I was hoping to make it back to France this summer, but alas, I am too sick to travel abroad. Well anyway, Brother Emile from Taize is in the US for a few months to prepare for a retreat of sorts that will be over Memorial Day weekend.

And now I finally am getting to my point...my good friends at the UNL Lutheran Center had a Taize worship service last week and invited Brother Emile to join them. It was really nice to have a mid-week reminder to slow down and be present in the moment. Taize is always refreshing and renewing to my spirit!

Brother Emile gave a little homily during the service and brought up an incredible point. He talked about another brother, Brother Roger, who was the founder of the Taize community. Brother Roger loved statements that were incomplete; statements that ended with ellipses. The one he talked about in particular, which I am continuing to consider was, "If you begin with a trusting heart, then...". If I began my decision-making process about medical leave with a trusting heart, how would it have been different? If we begin with a trusting heart when we approach those that are different from ourselves, how would our interactions be different? If we began with a trusting heart, maybe we wouldn't stereotype people as terrorists. If we began with a trusting heart...

I challenge each of you to begin each of your future encounters and decisions with a trusting heart. It may seem naïve, but in reality it's radically wise. And it's so hard to do.

Choir. Well I haven't officially sung for any reason in several years, but the church I'm currently attending is having a big celebration this month in honor of their 140th year as a congregation (holy moley, 140 years is a LONG time!). And so they've asked me to join them in the choir to sing a cantata. It's been fun to be in rehearsal again and it's nice to meet different people in the church.

Alice in Wonderland. This past weekend I went to an incredible ballet performance of "Alice in Wonderland" with a few of my friends from my med school class. My dance teacher was actually the lead, so it was fun to see her really dance in a context outside of the studio. Watching everyone on stage got me really amped up about my recital. It's been over a year since the last time I performed anywhere.

AIDS Walk. Megan, her boyfriend, and I went to the Omaha Nebraska AIDS Project AIDS Walk this weekend. It was a MUCH longer walk than any of us expected...we actually walked all the way to Iowa! I've been involved with the walk in some context since my sophomore year in high school--many of those years helping to plan it--so it was a little bit weird to just show up and walk with no other responsibilities  The weather was GORGEOUS, which made it all the more enjoyable.

Research. I've finished the first rough draft of the introduction and methods section of one of the papers I'm working on. As it turns out, I still am excellent at procrastinating writing when I feel like it. But I think that what I have is actually pretty good. I'm not looking to publish this study, but at the very least, it's good practice for the ones we're hoping to publish!

SMDEP. I can't actually remember if I've written about this yet, but I will be a TA for a summer program for undergraduate students that are hoping to get into med school. We had an organizational meeting for all of the TAs and RAs this week. I'm getting excited for the students to get here! It means spending my summer in Sorrell (I may grow to resent this place someday...), but it should still be plenty of fun!

Celebrate Sound Walk. My parents are coming up to Omaha this weekend and we will all be walking in the "Celebrate Sound"walk. For those of you who don't know, my dad is well on his way towards being deaf (what did you say...I couldn't hear you?). We've been involved as a family in a service organization that specifically caters to those who are deaf and/or hard of hearing since before I was born (my first actual meeting was when I was like a week old!), so we'll be walking to raise awareness and some dollars for the cause. I haven't seen many of the Sertoma gang in several years, so it'll be good to see some of them again!

Wow, there have been quite a few things going on lately. Sorry for the randomness of the post, but I suppose that's how life goes. I'm looking forward to next week when all of my classmates are done with classes and can actually be fun people again (as opposed to book worms)! There may even be a zoo trip in my future as long as the weather cooperates!