Thinking about life

I've been doing a lot of thinking about Life lately. I'm sure it comes from working on the brain tumors/pediatric tumors service for two months now. It seems so unfair sometimes, it seems so short. Other days, it seems so miraculous it makes me want to cry (and I do). There are days that are really hard, but you still come away feeling like a good doctor, that you helped people. And, there are days where nothing, absolutely nothing is right.

But every job is that way sometimes, isn't it?

I guess what these past months have got me thinking about, in my own life, is that it's going by fast. I'm growing up, things are going by me. I need to stop now and then and enjoy them. I need to stay in touch, with myself, my husband, my friends and family.

In the grand scheme of things, it can all be lost, so quickly. Even all this hard work, all this intelligence I work so hard to gather, this career I'm working so hard to build. I see it lost in people. The things you don't lose are the ones who love you, the ones who you love back. When you're lucky, you don't lose too much of yourself, either.

Orange Swirls

Orange Swirls by Raygungirl featuring Coach bags

Undergrad Fab Giveaway!!!

Please go visit the fabulous Undergrad Fab and check out her amazing HANDMADE and GOODIE-STUFFED handbag giveaway. It is gorgeous and funky and you seriously need this bag. So go see her blog and her enviable style, and her amazing sewing and designing skills. And maybe win that bag for yourself!

Chickdowntown Scarf Giveaway!

You must check out this amazing giveaway from Simple Elegance; a gorgeous Tolani scarf which looks like it was pulled directly out of the Mediterranean Sea. I want! I also want a million other things from Chickdowntown, the contest sponsor, so check out that website, too.

Slummin' it in scrubs

Slummin' it in scrubs by Raygungirl on Polyvore.com

So even when I can't get it together with my clothes (I woke up at 3 am this morning and could not get back to sleep for the life of me, so I dragged myself out of bed at 5:30, and was not feeling a big fashion day), I still like to bling it up a bit. My necklace is the Tiffany Eternal Circle necklace I bought when I went to NYC when I was 18 - I saved my money, and I think it was the only thing I bought that trip, but I loved it then and 11 years later I love it still. The earrings are CZs that my husband got for me over Christmas, and I feel sooooo Happy Housewife when I wear them, I love it.

My Dansko clogs are my best shoes ever, so comfortable that I've worn them for 36-40 hours at a time (thank you internship) and sometimes worn them while standing on one place for 12 hours at a time (thank you surgery rotation). I know Sally at Already Pretty has already attested to the magic of Danskos, and I have several other pairs in various styles, but these are my classics, the originals, and also the ones that really make me feels like a "doctor" - yes, I know that's silly. I also try to put on makeup and do my hair on these days; if not, I feel like a total slob, and the day usually just doesn't go well.

Etsy Favs

Image via CrunchBase

After talking to the loverly Undergrad Fab tonight, I had the thought to post some of my favorite Etsy sellers from time to time, as well as some of the quirkier ones.

My first post is a shop that I can't even remember how I came across, but as soon as I did, I knew it would serve me well, even though it's not my typical taste. It's A Well-Dressed Bullet, and they are a great little company in Ontario repurposing both new and used bullets into creative things. This is perfect for my dad, an ex-military man, hunter, and pen aficionado. I can also see a clay pigeon clock in his future, but that's another occasion perhaps. They have excellent and responsive customer service, letting me know right away that the order would not arrive in time for Father' Day (which I knew), and asking if I still wanted to place the order. Also, they offered to wrap it up, knowing it was to arrive as a gift. This was all convo'd back and forth as I sit here writing this post. They also do funky earrings, bolo ties, lights, keychains, and some amazing belt buckles, too. I've never seen anything else like it, check them out!

Finding my balance

Image via Wikipedia

I'm starting to realize that I need to plan how I want my life to be, in order to achieve those things. If I continually roll along behind the eight ball, then that's where I'll always be. I don't want to over-plan things, or become so rigid in my goals that I can't adapt to circumstance, but at the same time, it's time for me to figure out where I'm going in my career and take specific steps to get there. Same thing for my personal life. What do I want? Run a marathon? Establish a daily yoga practice? Become involved in charity? None of these things will happen if I just try to remember to do them once in awhile, I have to make a conscious choice, a conscious plan to do so. So; I'm not sure what that plan is yet, but I'm beginning to get some ideas in place. I know where I want to look for jobs, I know that I have a two year time frame in which to get one. I have to maximize that time in order to land one in which I can use the best technology to treat my patients, and provide them the best care that I know how. I have thoughts on this, and I'm starting to lay out a manner in which to act on them.