The Road Less Traveled...

it's one week out...come september 4th i'll be at orientation for medical school!! how did i get here? it's been a ride...one that has cost A LOT in relationships; i've lost some very important ones and i've gained many in return (hopefully you know who you are). life has a way of recycling. they say that with each death there is a birth. do you believe that sometimes that birth can come in different forms? maybe it's you that has been re-born rather than a literal birth? that's how i feel. i lived what i thought was a full life...i was satisfied and content. then i got a wake-up call that changed my life forever. in fact i remember distinctly sitting on the floor of my bedroom with my brother, two cousins and my uncle and him saying to us, "nothing will ever be the same". i had no idea how true those words would turn out to be. that was over 6 years ago but i remember it as if it was yesterday. looking back, that was the beginning of my second chance. i ran away, emotionally and physically, and tried to hide and pretend that my reality wasn't my reality (by the way, that doesn't work....trust me, the pain and hurt always has a way of coming back...and it's always worse the next time around). the mind and the spirit are powerful things but they also have their breaking point and i found mine. thankfully, and truthfully i don't remember how this happened, but i slowly crawled my way back into experiencing life. you know, it's possible to wake up every morning and make it through the day without REALLY participating in life. that is where i was. but slowly i managed to get to the point where i started to interact, to experience life and more importantly WANTED to participate in things and activities going on around me. without the help of my family, friends and believe it or not and probably more than anybody else, my dog, i wouldn't be here today writing this. but i am and i'm so grateful and blessed to have been given another chance. my whole life has changed!! i'm healthier; mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally. as an aside, that's part of what i've learned, our health is multi-dimensional...and if one area is laking all the other areas will suffer. so fast forward....orientation for medical school is one week away. if you haven't guessed, that's also part of my re-birth, if you will...i left construction / real estate development to be a doctor. welcome to the ride!! if the last 6 years are any indication it is sure to be interesting and if nothing else hopefully you'll learn something about yourself...what you're capable of and the awesome strength and resolve that we all possess and have access to if we put our faith and trust in the right places.