The Hard Times Put the Shine into the Diamond
One of the first things I’d like to write about are my tattoos. Though the stigma associated with tattoos is decreasing, most people are definitely surprised to see my tattoos for the first time…At least until they get to know my story and what they mean to me.
The night before I graduated from college, in May 2016, my family and I found my mimi, my grandmother, with no pulse in her hotel bed. Just 7 months later, I got a phone call that changed my life when I was informed that I had gotten accepted into my top choice for medical school. While there is a lot that happened between those dates that I’ll write about separately, including the MCAT, you can still understand why my outlook on life has been shaped to believe that the good and bad tend to go hand-in-hand.
I fell in love with this lyric, from Dierks Bentley’s Riser, as soon as I heard it in 2014, and after some of my hard times I knew I needed to have it in a tattoo to carry with me.
Everyone has a right to their experience of their hard times, their darkness, and their own struggles. One of the most valuable lessons I continue to learn is that EVERY person has their own battles, and every one will come out the other side with their own perspective. Every day this tattoo reminds me of my own approach to life. I believe that we can’t know love unless we’ve experienced heartbreak, and that sadness exists to help us learn what happiness even feels like. When I face hard times, I get through them by reminding myself of my tattoo, my “mantra” in many ways.
My birds represent family and friends that I’ve lost, and the rose is for myself, my middle name. You’ll also notice a paw print that belonged to my best friend, my yellow lab Holly, who I lost just 4 months ago to Leukemia as I was studying for USMLE Step 1.
My tattoos have helped me heal and continue to help me move forward every day. I know some people won’t understand, but I hope they at least help you understand me a bit more. As I start on this blogging journey, I wanted to start with something personal and honest. If I have regular “readers” now or much later from now, I hope you appreciate my trying to connect right from the beginning.