Having swum approx. 50 miles/week (yea, you read that right) through high school and college, I tend to go on spurts (sometimes lasting several months) where I don't feel like swimming at all. Just because I know I can. The last few months it has been just the opposite- I've been swimming with a master's group that gives me some much needed social interaction sans Dr. Hottie. The water feels good & I got to race a couple open water swims over the summer. Tonight I got to swim with a new friend who's only been swimming for 1 year. It was so much fun watching him swim and giving him some pointers on his stroke. I've been so preoccupied with vascular physiology the past 2 years I had forgotten how much I love to coach. We'll see where post-graduation life takes me in 4 months!
Speaking of life passions, I know Dr. Hottie's passion is...well me- duh! In all seriousness he LOVES surgery. When I was visiting his childhood home once many years ago we found an essay he had written in grade school about his dream to become a doctor. He wrote, "I want to help fix people, and I will always have a job because people will always get sick." Smart boy that one :-) The point is, there will be COUNTLESS times when I get frustrated with the demands of Dr.Hottie's career. We weren't together for my birthday, our wedding anniversary, and he can't make it to my graduation. I will complain sometimes- and most definitely throw my own pity parties (when I get to eat as much dessert as I want), but what I ABSOLUTELY will never do is say, "I wish you hadn't chosen this career path." I absolutely want him to pursue his life passion- I know he would never deny me of any of mine (I have too many to count ;-)).