Lessons from George
(originally written 2/2016) This week has been weird. Like…really weird. Have you ever just looked back on the events of the preceding week and thought, “My, my. What was that?” Not so much as a literal means of devising explanations for the seemingly strange occurrences of the week, but more so as a catalyst for introspection and reflection on the significance (or lack thereof) of said events. As I write this, sitting atop the plush carpeted rug on my bedroom floor, my headphones blasting Earth, Wind, and Fire’s “Love’s Holiday” (rest in peace, Maurice White), I think about the hodgepodge of events that comprised the past seven days: hearing the tiny heartbeat of my first neonatal patient, enduring the incredibly awkward experience of performing my first medical examination on male genitalia, experiencing the daily joys and frustrations of being the prototypical self-sacrificing (and consequently sleep-deprived) medical student. But perhaps the most enlightening and stimulating en