This post comes after a several-month blogging hiatus. The break wasn’t intentional, but life has a way of carrying us forward in unexpected ways. The past few months I continued to write, but in a different genre. I drafted several novels. I have two fantasy series that occupy my imagination currently. I’m not done with them. Novel writing is a long-term project, like most things in my life. Yet, despite stories unfinished, the flow of my days has brought me back to this blog. Afterall, the doctorhood quest isn’t over. It begs the question of whether the doctorhood quest will ever be over as there is always more to learn, but that introspection can be left to the future.

The past few months oscillated between easy schedules with plenty of time to contemplate life and my least favorite part of residency, night shift. I’m gleeful to report that I finished my last scheduled night shift of residency last week. Of course, I’m in residency. Another week or so of nights will sneak into my schedule before I graduate. Such is the way of residency, unwelcome and unfriendly work schedules. I skipped Thanksgiving because I was on night shift. I celebrated Christmas on November 30 because December is a doomsday schedule in my residency program. I wrote this blog at 3 o’clock in the morning because my sleep-wake cycle was still upset from night shift despite a week of day shifts under my belt. Schedule challenges aside, December is a month of reflection and giving thanks. I find myself in an interesting place – seeing how far I’ve come while also noticing a long road ahead.

I have 7 months left of residency. I have a job for post-graduation (more on that in a future post). I completed the administrative hoops to get official physician’s licenses. I scheduled my last exam – the board exam. Once I pass the board exam, it signals that the past 9 years of training taught me what I need to know about doctoring…at least on paper. Completing those tasks is enough to be grateful for without needing to look below the surface or consider the complexity that made them possible. But giving thanks is more than checking off one’s to-do list. So, let me dive deeper into some of the things I’m most grateful for currently.

On the top of my “thankful for” list are the countless people who helped me get to where I am. Many of these people are unnamed and their time in my life was brief. Together they made me the doctor I am. I must first give a nod of thanks to my patients. They have taught me more than they know. To be a patient is to be vulnerable, and they navigated that vulnerability with bravery. Next, I give a nod to my professors and peers in medicine. Medicine is a team sport, anyone who tells you otherwise is lying. Every day I learn something from my colleagues in medicine. Collaboration for the better good is one thing I love about the medical field. And last, but not least, I’m thankful for the friends and family who have supported me on this journey. They are the force that keeps me on the path forward. I will not imagine what this journey would have been without them. 

After the people in my life, I’m thankful for my circumstances. I’m thankful to live in the sunny city of Richmond where native passionfruit and pawpaws hide in the park. Where the river flows under and around osprey in the summer and ducks, geese, and cormorants year-round. Where snow falls occasionally in winter and daffodils bloom in February. Where cultures born of many pasts and futures come together, not always smoothly but always with hope. I’m thankful for my apartment where I can track the exact location of the sunset throughout the year – knowing the season by the building behind which the sun dives first. I’m thankful for the plants that dominate my living room. They ensure that there is no day without a flower blooming in my home. I’ve always said that I’ll know I’m rich when I can always have a fresh bouquet of flowers without concern for budget. When I thought of that definition of wealth, I didn’t realize that tending plants would make me rich faster than working. In retrospect, I should have realized that “wealth” is a nebulous term.

And finally, I’m thankful for my experience. My experiences on the doctorhood quest and in other aspects of life. I have never had a job that is as consistently rewarding and infuriating as being a physician. Most days the reward outweighs the frustration, which is why I continue to return. I had over 20 jobs before entering medical school, some were fun and others inspiring, yet I would not return to any of them. Apart from work, this year’s vacations, day trips, and glorious hours lounging I cherish. As December unfolds, I’m thinking about the experiences I’ve had and those ahead. There is never a dull moment when one accepts that the only constant is change. With the days of 2025 numbered, I’m thankful for what this year was and the hope next year holds.