Finding My Way

I arrived here in Columbia, South Carolina approximately 6 weeks ago to begin an exciting new adventure in my life. Sports Medicine has been on my radar for quite some time. In my first year of medical school, one of our professors talked about his experiences working with the Philadelphia Eagles. I was hooked. How fun would it be to work with athletes day in and day out? Well, I am now blessed with the opportunity to do just that for one year here at the University of South Carolina.

GO GAMECOCKS! It did not take long for me to get to yell this phrase at the top of my lungs. On my second day living in Columbia, the South Carolina baseball team beat Florida to win the College World Series. The Gamecocks were the national champions in baseball for the second year in a row! They did it in dramatic fashion. Every game was a nail biter. There was excitement galore including multiple double plays to end innings, gutty performances by pitchers, and "bang bang" plays at the plate to save the day. The rallying cry of the Gamecocks became "We Battle". That team did in fact battle really hard to the end. The Gamecocks did not have the most talent, but they definitely had the best team in the end. I had the pleasure of attending a celebration for the team when they arrived back in town. It was my first pep rally since high school! I loved it. Does it get any better than that? It just might.



But before all the fun really gets going, a large dose of reality set in for me. In the past six weeks, there has been a tremendous amount of change in my life. My military career came to an end after 11 years. I relocated to a new city that is even hotter than Charleston. I started a new job taking on a completely different role. My pay was cut by over 50%. I moved into an apartment with lots of students who are about half my age. My dog was left behind to live with my sister. I decided to train for a triathalon which is coming up fast. And, there is even a new "significant other" thrown in there. WOW!!! That is a lot of change.

To say that this has all been an adjustment for me is a major understatement. I find myself at times wondering what the heck I got myself into here. Why did I choose to be a doctor in training (fellow) again? What am I doing in a city where it was over 90 degrees for forty seven days in a row? How could I possibly be living among college students? These are the questions I am struggling to answer for myself. These doubts are not unexpected when I stop to think about it. My life is so much different than it was just 2 months ago. Change is stressful, but it also affords us the opportunity for growth. So, each day I forge ahead. I am finding my way.