Fond Memories

If you asked me to share some of my fondest memories from medical school, I would probably tell you about Saturday mornings at the outdoor farmers’ market in Syracuse. During the first few weeks of our first year, I had grown close to a few classmates who had also moved from downstate and were also quite homesick, but the homesickness slowly subsided as we became like a family with its own routine. Many Saturday mornings, we gathered in one or two cars and drove out to the market to enjoy the sunshine and support local farmers. We strolled through aisle after aisle talking to vendors and laughing with each other. The market was one of the first places I began to miss when the Covid lockdowns were announced later that spring. It was one of the few places amidst the chaos where I felt at peace.

It has been nearly two years since I matched into residency in New York City and returned closer to home. While I have embraced the privilege of working as a physician in the big city, I have also struggled with feeling burdened by the weight of responsibility that comes with it. The boundaries between work and life have become blurred as I have found myself ruminating about cases even at the grocery market, the type of place that once put me at ease. But I remind myself that we are never carrying the weight alone. In each chapter of my life spent outside my comfort zone, so many people have supported me and helped me find a sense of stability, including my colleagues in the hospital, where we have developed new routines while looking after our patients and each other. It is still difficult to establish a balance between work and life, but I am grateful to have family in both.

Written by Anonymous