why we chose to do what we do

working in medicine and law enforcement can make even the sweetest person jaded and bitter... and in my house we have one of each of these careers... great combination right? it's so easy to forget the reasons we chose these career paths... so incredibly easy... and every once in awhile, usually when we need it the most, something reminds us. 

ever since i can remember, i wanted to be in the medical field to "help people." i remember interviewing for physician assistant school and when the interviewer asked why i wanted to be a pa i said just that... "i want to help people." and then he looked at me like i was dumb and said that everyone gave him that answered so give him a better one. so, naturally, i gave him another answer... and i guess it worked because i got into school. but honestly, i gave him the real reason the first time. it was that simple. i wanted to help people when they were in their most vulnerable and sick states. 

and here i am, living my dream. and ben is living his. but, you know, no one ever told us about how easy it is to become bitter. they didn't teach that in school. they don't warn you about how many jerks you deal with on a daily basis. you just get to learn these things along the way. 

recently we saw this picture by norman rockwell called "the runaway" and, although it is a police officer,  it was a great reminder to both of us of why we do what we do. we work in medicine and law enforcement not for the bad days... the ones that inevitably cause us to lose a little bit of hope in humanity. we work in these fields for the days we can actually make a difference. those good days... like the ones that we get to positively affect the life of a little kid like the one below. those kind of days make every bad day worth it. these are the days that made us chose these career paths. this picture says it all.