The construction of our new auditorium/classroom is something to behold. Sometimes, I like to watch the magic unfold from the library, or from the fourth floor patio if I need some fresh air. The thing that amazes me is that as it continues to take shape (right about now, they’re working on the outer walls, which are beginning to match the exterior of the tower and The Eye Center,) one can begin to get a sense of how magnificent it’s going to be! Yet, the paradox is that someone watching the construction daily can’t really visualize the progress that’s been made, because that progress is ever-present to that person, if that makes sense. One would have to look at the construction at two different stages simultaneously in order to really appreciate that progress.
The top photo was taken around late November. The bottom was taken this week. Huge difference!
In the same vein, I think the course of optometric education is like that on occasion. Because you, the student, experience your education on a daily basis, sometimes it’s hard to tell just exactly how much you have learned. All these facts and techniques and modifications and numbers seemingly swim in your head, and sometimes it seems like you don’t even know what you know or don’t know!
And, when the bad days come (they do exist,) it’s sometimes easy to believe that nothing is working. Nothing is being learned. No progress is being made. But when the bad days come (and they happen to everyone,) you have to take a step back, take a deep breath, and take it all in.
It’s like the picture above. When you compare something at two different stages of its development, it is easier to get the big picture, to see the actual progression. In this case, where were you a year ago, and where are you now? What’s different?
The answer: a lot, truly. It is working. You are learning so much. You are making an incredible amount of progress. You yourself are a work in progress, a study in perseverance, a story being defined by your own hand. Because of today’s struggles (which you will overcome,) you will become an even better doctor. And that, my friend, will make all the bad days worth it.