Truth

2015, what a year. It has been one filled with incredible ups and downs, starting with my brother and sister-in-law’s marriage, the Buckeyes winning the inaugural CFP, finishing up Host Defense only to face the dark days of Step 1, overcoming it, trips to Cali, Boston, and multiple trips to The Land, overcoming loss (thanks @rachelplatten for “Fight Song”) while learning more about who I am, delivering babies, helping with surgeries, shelf exams, my first @kellyclarkson concert, my first time to the Bahamas on my first cruise, watching the number one college football team in the country play live, meeting great people with great life stories rotating through Psychiatry, Neurology, and Internal Medicine while experiencing heartbreaking patient loss, more shelf exams with the first nationwide server crash the NBME has ever seen, and finally getting to meet the beautiful reason why “Uncle” is one of my favorite titles I’ve ever had. All this and more with the best friends, family, and mentors a guy could ask for. It wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies, but I sure am better thanks to it. Here’s to wrapping up the end of this year, and here’s to starting a new chapter in life. 2016, I’m coming for ya.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas :) (at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center)

#enjoylife

#MirrorLakeJump #BeatMichigan (at Mirror Lake (Ohio))

Cheesin hard with these beautiful ladies at #CollegeGameDay! #gobucks #beatsparty (at Ohio State Oval)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0qD2K2RWkc

Beautiful wedding, beautiful night, and beautiful people. Congrats to the newlyweds, Laura and Joe! (at Cuyahoga Falls Pavilion & Amphitheater)

It's simple, really: people want to be cared about. In order to show care for others, we need time. When given time, we are shown that we are cared about, and a positive cycle commences. The opposite is true. When not given time, we are less able to show our care for others. When we are less able to show care, people don't feel cared about. When people don't feel cared about, that is when you run into trouble.

Made it on OSU's snap story with @nahid.rashid. #dreambig #leftshark #katyperry #halloween (at The Big Bar & Grill)

Dream achieved. Still waiting on you, @kellyclarkson.

I was chatting with a friend about dating. It was an interesting conversation, one that I feel many of us can relate to. There is that frightening moment when you make yourself vulnerable and express interest in someone else. "Would you like to get coffee sometime?" you attempt to say as casually as possible, trying to play it cool while not sounding too eager. Or there's the text setup where instead of verbally communicating, you use your phone as a mediator. Same statement, much different situation. You nervously wait what seems like days for a response. And the sad fact is that it sometimes can be days, if they respond at all. "People should have the decency to at least respond, to validate me as a human being. Maybe I seemed too eager. Or maybe I could have worded it better. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. What am I doing wrong?" It's interesting seeing how what seems like a simple lack of external validation can lead to significant self-doubt. The funny thing is, the situation says more about the character of the non-responder, yet the initiator is the one who likely feels the most hurt, at least initially. Now imagine the scenario differently. "Would you like to get coffee sometime?" After the day doing whatever fulfills you (teaching, writing, spending time with friends, running, etc.), you realize you received no response. "That's odd," as you continue on in your personally fulfilling life, not giving it a second thought. What's the difference? The second scenario included self-validation/self-confidence/self-love. This caused the lack of external validation to be insignificant. It caused less stress, less self-doubt, and less obsession. Tough quality to obtain, but important nonetheless.

We could have it all once we let our walls break.

Me: Well fuck

I was talking to a physician about Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). He compared those suffering from GAD to canaries in a coal mine, society being the coal mine. I think he stated something I have been trying to describe for so long in such a succinct way. Mental illness is a terrible thing, but it’s incredible how it’s not more prominent in the society we’ve built. We have canaries warning us of our toxic environment, but what are we doing to change? Are we even listening?

I think it’s time we revisit this whole blog thing :)

Hot damn it's been forever. Does anybody still use this?

I saw a sign today in front of a church/school that said "God is the potter, not Harry."  It's funny how people take fiction so seriously.