The Winners.

this is unplanned. i'm surprised how more peaceful everything seemed the moment i saw the new post on this tiny little corner of mine.

so i push.

count. we learn to count when we are young. some in school. some through our parents. and some in the school of life.

it was always a mix between awe and amusement when i would hear or meet a person who did not go through any formal education but somehow knew how to count when money was involved. i see it as a survival skill. as well as the value of grit.

counting down was part of my life for a few years. there were times when i would do a radio show and i had to somehow arbitrarily make a list of all the top 5 songs of the week, based on the number of requests the station got from everyone.

but this is different.

i'm trying to be efficient. or it feels that's just the best way to go at this point. maybe for lack of inspiration or direction. but not for a lack of trying.

because 10 takes away the value of having just 5.

here are my life's top 5 changes since the last time i went deep into this.

1. dad's gone. i am now fatherless. that might be an extreme thing to say. all i have left is my Heavenly Father to be my only source of security. i knew this would eventually happen, but not this early. i need to write something on that. hopefully soon.

2. i'm married. i finally got a change to tie the knot in December 2021. that's 5 months after dad died. and quite a number of years since i met my wife. but somehow, the timing seems not off. it's just right. it could have been earlier but it feels like that would have taken away from the moment it was supposed to happen. another post for another time. 

3. i now have 9 dogs. doggos. furbabies. far cry from the 3 i had going for me.

4. i'm now a researcher/professor. i knew teaching was going to be for me. i see it as something i can do for quite a long time. but to do that fully, i had to go into research. this is something i hope to do more now.

5. i am now a licensed physician. first year resident in general surgery. so much to learn. good thing i have some time.