I Am a Polar Bear.

So, I was sitting in class feeling pretty crappy about being so confused on the various functions of respiratory physiology when our professor started a new powerpoint presentation and showed us a picture of a polar bear and its cub. The slide was titled, "Am I a polar bear?" He proceeded to tell us a story about how the baby polar bear kept asking his father if he (the cub) was a polar bear, if his dad was a polar bear, and if his mom was a polar bear. Finally the father got so disgruntled with the question that he inquired why the cub was asking so much to which the cub responded, "Because I'm freezing!"

He turned to the class to tell us that we were, in fact, polar bears. That sometimes we may feel a bit cold and confused. That we may begin to question our identities, but we were definitely on the right track and would get it eventually. I'm not so sure why this encouragement struck me so strongly at that moment, but it was just what I needed to hear from someone who was teaching us.

We are all on the right track. We are all future veterinarians. There will be times when we become so bogged down, disheveled, disgruntled, confused, discouraged, and beaten that we forget who we are, but we are all future vets. We have it in us; the will, the desire, the hope, and most importantly, the love for what we do. We may falter and sway. We may at times forget who we even are, but no matter what, we are on the right path to our dreams. And, there will always be someone there to keep us "warm" and guide us.