responses

Wow! Whoever said that newspapers were irrelevant in the digital age never had an article written about them. A huge number of people have written, both leaving comments on this blog, and via email. Many relate their own harrowing stories – it is a terrifying and sad thing to remember that I am not alone, that there are dozens and hundreds and thousands and millions of people whose lives are right now being touched by tragedy. The torrential outpouring of stories is amazing to me. Maybe it shouldn’t be, since I have obviously felt this same need to share mine. The urgency with which people have been sharing their experiences reminds me of something that we are taught in the first year of medical school, but which largely falls on deaf ears: how important it is that people feel that they are listened to and understood. The article may have been written about me, but this is not the reason that people have found it interesting. Its greatest value seems to have come from the fact that it provided a stimulus for others to express themselves.

As for me, I am relishing feeling better every day, though with the crisis averted, there is more space for rumination. A few entries ago I wrote about there being a clear path ahead. I am back in Palo Alto now, and in the calm of home I find that while there are fewer terrifying possibilities looming, there are many new and important variables that have sprung up, and that the path ahead is not at all clear. Will I be physically able to begin school again in the fall? Will I be emotionally stable enough? Is it more important for me to re-engage with school so that I can apply what I have learned to my studies and beyond, or should I take some time to reconsider my goals, and enjoy life?

(No need to weigh in all at once!)