Making Sense Out of Hard Times

Anthony Rudine -- As I sit here at my computer, I find myself trying to think of an analogy for my life. The first thing that comes to mind? "My life is slowly draining out of the bathtub of life," or something to that effect. Pretty depressing. Let's be honest here, not every day shall be a good day, nor is every day to be filled with happiness. But being the scientist that I claim to be, I feel it necessary to think further about this analogy.

If my life is draining out of the bathtub of life, that would make me water – and I know that the human body is mostly water, so, so far so good. My analogy is working. As I play with my dog on the couch and we finish the movie "Must Love Dogs," – I know, corny, but true - I find myself thinking more about the analogy and about the last time I gave him a bath.

The water draining out of the tub was colored – from the dirt removed by shampoo - and it did indeed drain slowly. However, the mud, being more dense than water, accumulated at the bottom of the tub and did not drain out. Science at its best.

If you can't tell already, life has not been going as planned these last few months, and last week – test week – was indeed as bad as I feared. I find myself torn between the life I had envisioned in my dreams and what it is turning out to be.

Going back to my analogy, I find that it rings true. We are water. I am water draining out of the tub, slowly but inevitably. And I leave the bathtub colored with the experiences of life, the good and the bad. And the mud of life – those things that really get us down, those things we regret, hard times - ultimately sinks to the bottom, and the water leaves the tub.

Then I wonder – is my life really so far from what I imagined, or am I just stuck in the mud right now? All my life I have wanted to be a physician, and here I am, in medical school. For years I have had a passion for writing, and here I am, communicating with you, faithful reader. And all my life I have wanted to be happy, truly happy. And I recall the love of my family and friends, who provide the soap and shampoo to my metaphorical body as it is needed.

My conclusion: the water is never clear. But it is the experiences of life, and the gift of patients, family, friends, and of course dogs, that bring soap to our lives at the most needed times, gently removing the mud as it sinks to the bottom, and another chapter of our lives leaves the tub.