Don't Rain On My Parade

Don't tell me not to live, just sit and putter
Life's candy and the sun's a ball of butter
Don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade


My mother still makes fun of me because when I was younger, I loved Barbara Streisand. Whether or not I actually liked her vocal stylings is still up for debate; I think I just wanted to be like my mommy and listen to her music. Anyway, aside from me being a really cool 6 year old, this was my favorite song. At the time, I couldn't appreciate it's meaning, but I have a little more perspective now.

From a literal standpoint, it was raining cats and dogs today! In the rain, driving between Sacramento and Davis is hands down the scariest experience I've had to date (I consider myself very lucky). And today was no ordinary commute for me. I was on the road by 7am (a number with which I generally choose to not familiarize myself) to get to a brand new internship by 8am. And this was no ordinary internship. I was on my way to the UCD Medical Center ER for my very first day. One thing was for certain: one wrong move, and I would end up in the ER, but not by my choosing. Needless to say, I was a little tense and a lot caffeinated. Once I got to my destination, though, things went swimmingly! My trainers were really friendly, the doctors were nice and had a great sense of humor, and a guy in scrubs (I assume he is in one way or another associated with the medical profession) was chatting with me about classes and medicine and the like. But I must say, for as busy as the ER may be, it is nowhere near the level of dramatic that they portray on TV.

"The hemorrhaging in the aorta is too great! We'll lose her if we don't do something fast!"
"I'll grab the trache kit! Stat!"
"That's completely unrelated."
"Not to worry! I'll do chest compressions!"
"Are you even a real doctor???"
"No, but I AM a real McDreamy! Meet me in the elevator in 5 minutes?"


If the real ER was anything like this fake ER I created with random medical terms, people would be super dramatic on the regular! Do you really think Patrick Dempsey knows what a trache kit is? Don't get me wrong, he is a hunk and a half, but really? I originally started talking about rain. How I got to Patrick Dempsey is beyond me. At any rate, a successful first ER shift by all accounts. The attendings were nice and the residents didn't beat me up and take my lunch money. All in all, a pretty good day :)

Now for the figurative rain. I read a great quote recently: "Everyone wants happiness and nobody wants pain, but you can't have a rainbow without a little rain." Truer words were never spoken, anonymous. Through the bad, one learns to appreciate the good. Just as this literal storm shall pass and bring blue skies, so too shall any "life" storm pass and bring brighter days. Weather is unpredictable, and so is life. I had a pretty rough couple of months that I did not foresee where it seemed like each and every facet of my life was falling apart. It was the universe's way of saying "you've had it too easy until now." I don't think I could have learned the valuable lessons I have without braving the storm and I would not be the woman I am now as I type this. A dear friend told me, "if you can make it through this, you can do anything." And she was right. Not that I'm Superman or anything; my cape is still at the dry cleaners. But her point was this: I would never have developed such strength without the struggle that came before it. And at 20 years old, I can finally appreciate Babs. Nobody is gonna rain on my parade because I'll just keep marching through it. Mama and Daddy taught me well.

I am looking at the busiest quarter of my life. I say it every quarter, but this time I mean it. Two internships, two IM teams, four classes, nine midterms, two term papers, a sorority, and a partridge in a pear tree. I have amazing friends and family that helped me get through the toughest months of my life, so such a splendid lineup should be a cakewalk :) I can't begin to describe how blessed I am; I'll save that for another day.

And one last thing: LITERALLY, weather, DON'T rain on my (Picnic Day) parade. 'k thanks! Favorite holiday in 5 days :)