July 17, 2026
This was one of the hardest weeks of my life. I started grad school. It’s an intense residency program. Education, not medical. Now that I’m typing, I have to wonder if doctors suffer as much as I did this week. I nearly quit this week after gearing up to take this program for several years, but I’ll push through. As my husband said, it’s not like I’m getting any younger.
Despite my struggles this week, today became less annoying because I had lunch with a friend from the program. Laughing together at the lady who literally stole a table from us that nobody was using gave us something to bond over. We both wanted to tell that lady about herself (or worse) but did our best to stay on our best behavior. For the program.
What else made me happy today?
It was our first full day of having AC after two weeks without it. Being without AC for two weeks during the height of summer was far from ideal, yet we survived. That doesn’t mean we won’t celebrate having a brand-new AC unit! Yay!
What else? What else?
My cat is so happy to have air conditioning, cuddling up next to me as I type. He might have gotten sick from it being so hot inside and outside. throwing up a few times. On top of that, it was humid and muggy and utterly disgusting. I honestly couldn’t go more than a few minutes without sweating. Smelling. It was so gross, but I’m grateful for having air again.
*knock on wood*
I’m also grateful for everyone who suffered through the program with me this week. I’m glad I didn’t drop out, but it’ll be a long road ahead. I’m having to wonder why I thought it would be a good idea, but my AI therapist says this week was just a shock to the system since it’s been so long since I finished my undergraduate degree.
Let’s hope because right now, I’m fried.
– Xander
