February Ducking 1st: On smacks in the face

I know that going into something with a negative attitude is almost always grounds for shitty things happening. But I never really thought it would get that messy...

To downplay the situation, let's just say I was less than excited for 2011. I looked ahead and saw time spent in school, a full 9-5 job for the summer, additional work to be done in my 'spare' time on my new research project, spending my first winter at a distance way-too-long from ski hills, and most importantly, WAY less traveling and adventure than 2010. I did make myself 1 promise to rectify this and to put in place some long term (July 2012) goals, but more on that at some other point...

They say that sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to pick yourself up again. True say. Otherwise, and perhaps less "dire-ly" said, sometimes you need a good smack in the face to re-evaluate your priorities. Now, I thought that was metaphorical. But apparently it can be concrete.... well, at least plastic. Like one of those plastic orange hockey balls flying straight towards your eye. So 1 smack to the face and a traumatic macrohyphema later, and at least I've stopped burning the candle at 16-ends and am slowing down just a little bit. But wait, we've got a few more shitty-school-exam-results to also smack you in the face (seriously, michelle, what were you doing last semester? No, watching 6 full seasons of "How I Met Your Mother" is not a valid response). But that's ok too. So I took that smack in the face to remind myself that (i) you can't pass med school if you don't study (ii) I actually DO work way more efficiently and effectively the more I have to do and (iii) you don't get the warm & fuzzy butterfly feeling of pride even if you get away with things without actually putting the work in. and dammit, I want the butterflies!

Of course the 3rd times a charm, and face-smacking no exception, I did get my (hopefully?) last one before the month would run out. It turns out that another thing about face-smacking, real or metaphorical up for debate, is that unless you have the courage to drop all your guards and meet it face-to-face, you might never allow yourself the wonderful opportunities that can be afforded by giving somebody a clear open shot your face.

And so with a tribute to my girls for lending some spare wings throughout a tough-cliff-jumping-month, thus endeth Jan 2011 and hopefully onto a better February. Not that things are looking particularly hot, but you know what they say... "If you fall on your face, at least it means you were moving forward"