Beginning FM Residency

I haven't posted since I was trucking. Since then, I quit trucking, attended an intensive therapy program, renewed my relationship with God, became a Home Depot associate, and moved to Georgia to start a Family Medicine residency. That's right! I've resumed medical training. Wow, a lot happens in a year.

Things I learned while trucking:
-Trucking is not the career for me
-The US is a stinkin' huge place full of great things to see and do
-I like knowing in advance when and where I'm going to sleep for the night (or day) and whether I will be able to do so legally
-More generally, I like having a home I can actually live in, instead of being on the road all the time
-A better sense of how to read the road while driving, especially when semi trucks are involved

Things I learned in the therapy program:
-I tend to stuff my emotions and the majority of my personality down deep lest anyone get a glimpse of them and judge me for them
-Emotions have a huge sway on how I see the world and the decisions I make unless I unpack them and sort through them
-God made me and redeemed me from sinfulness, and the disapproval of other people doesn't degrade my worth as a person

Things I learned working at Home Depot:
-While working in the parking lot, I rediscovered that manual labor is not my cup of tea
-Some people seem entitled to abuse people who are paid to help them
-Many unpleasant interactions between people can be traced back to poorly-communicated, pre-formed assumptions
-Many home-improvement skills

The latest development is being accepted to a Family Medicine residency in Georgia. I just moved into an apartment earlier this week and am getting settled in as well as possible while waiting for my belongings to arrive. The moving company misunderstood my request to move my container to Georgia and instead left it sitting in a facility in Colorado. It arrives at the end of next week, so I'll have the weekend to unpack and fully settle in before starting on Monday the 30th.

Tomorrow, I'm attending church in the morning and hosting a BBQ for the other first-year residents at my program in the afternoon. I think I have found the church I want to commit to for the duration of my time here, which is a big blessing. I was worried about finding a good Christian community. I'm looking forward to kicking off the year by getting to know the other residents because one issue I've had in the past is staying isolated, so getting to know the people I'll be working with in a more informal setting will be good.

I'm shooting for blogging weekly, with longer newsletter-style posts each month. We'll see whether my schedule and motivation level allow for that.

Scott

My aunt and uncle gave me this loveseat to help complete (actually, start) my furniture ensemble. It was made by another uncle.