Perfect Day

Yes, that's not a mistake.  The title of this post is "day," not "date!"

At a certain point in training, you start to realize that you will soon get a "real job."  Between those words lie the emotions of exhilaration and sheer panic.

As a physician, I'm realizing I have more options than I know what to do with.  Private practice or academic?  Group or individual practice?  Research?  Clinical or basic science or translational?  Prospective or retrospective?  Teaching?  Where?  How?  At what salary?  At what hours?

I feel like my brain is going to explode just thinking about it.  But...I have to think about it.  It's getting to be that time!

I recently read a book about financial planning geared towards women called The Smart Cookie's Guide to Making More Dough.  As an aside, I loved this book and highly recommend it.

An exercise in the book asks you to describe your "perfect day."  Literally, pick up your pen, laptop, whatever, and from start to finish, what does a perfect day look like?  Or, what would be your perfect life?

I was reading this as I was on my way to Key West for a dear friend's destination wedding.  This incredible woman, one of the most amazing nurses I have ever known, has achieved her perfect day in the past couple years.  She got a Master's degree, got her dream job, and now was marrying the love of her life.  She earned her perfect day is is living it.  I couldn't have been happier for her after so many late nights on the wards, talking about the many challenges we both faced.

Now, as I sit on the brink of my own future, I wonder what the hell I actually want out of my life.  During residency, I was in survival mode--one day to the next till it's done.  Now, in the research portion of my fellowship, I am well-rested, able to think clearly, and in a place where I am expanding my mind professionally and personally.  For once in my otherwise driven and goal-directed life, I feel like I have no idea what I actually want to do.

Ultimately, I need to sit down over the course of several months, and really think about what my perfect day actually consists of.  And then, to be utterly cliche, go for it!