If you told me last year that watching 6 seasons of an awarded medical drama show is part of my learning and self-improvement for 2023, I’d probably scoff at you. But that is precisely what is happening.
I remember watching one season of this show when I was still in college. That was a long time ago. I had some classmates who were psychology majors that time. They got inspired to become real doctors because of this show. I was fascinated then and now.
One of the psych majors I hung out with then ended up becoming an endocrinologist trained by PGH. I still more fondly remember her for being a kind person and huge basketball fan than the amazing doctor she turned out to become.
We drifted apart as adults, but I am happy for her. I remember those phone calls I had with her where she compares the medical accuracy of House and Grey’s Anatomy. We talked about that casually and she ended up becoming one in real life. (A.M.L, wherever you are I hope you find the best and happiest in everything!)
Recalling that, I realize how cool it was that what she gushed about turned out to be her life’s work. It’s nice when you are in tune with the things that you naturally enjoy. It can give you a clue of what you’re meant to do in life.
I am a bit on the old side to becoming a med school person. But I use the newfound interest to do practical mom things like analyze my children’s medical records and study their symptoms like notes congregating to build a song.
Few weeks into the episodes, I started adding human anatomy models on my online shopping wish list. I put it alongside mini-solar system diagrams and a retro console where I can play Super Mario again. It’s for the kids. And proudly, I own that it is also for the little girl in me that needs to rediscover the joy of learning things just because. It makes me happy; it is a privilege to pursue topics out of sheer happiness of it, and it’s a journey I take with my kids as well.
I felt like I did not give biology a fair chance before and it could be fascinating relearning it. My eldest child will have those subjects in a few years; refreshing the topics before they start asking me questions on body parts will be the perfect justification for the House-induced purchases.
I look forward to tutoring. I am pretty okay with math, I am average with languages, and now I am consuming more reading materials on medical science. It’s really great and enjoyable. I have good conversations with our family doctors as a result. I just hope my kids are better at P.E. than I was; I paid dearly for not being more physically active as a child.