Try not to worry about what you don’t have.

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When I was a senior in Veterinary School, I was “on duty” during the Thanksgiving weekend.  It was only by chance.  I drew the short straw that weekend, so to speak.

My family did not like the fact that I would be unable to come home and participate in Thanksgiving.

At the time I didn’t think much about it.  Frankly, I didn’t particularly care.  Which is not OK.  I was young.  I was stupid.  I didn’t fully appreciate the things that really matter.

Perhaps that sounds terrible.  I dunno.  But I had busted my ass for nearly 8 years to put myself through school.  I was doing what I had to do in order to finish that.  In order to have a future.  Professionally speaking.

I wasn’t about to put that in jeopardy.  I’d invested too much.  Sacrificed too much.  No matter how much my parents wanted me to come home.  It just was not gonna happen.

Then Dr. Spod stepped in.

I won’t give his full proper name here for obvious reasons.  But he was my advisor at the time on the surgical rotation I was on at the time.  He was an amazing surgeon.

But aside from that, he asked me a question on Thanksgiving night when we were on shift dealing with patients.

“What’s your favourite holiday?”, he asked.

“I don’t have one”, I replied.

And I meant it when I said it.  As a kid growing up I always enjoyed Christmas.  And Thanksgiving.  And Halloween.  And most of the rest, too.

But at this point in my life, trying to be a responsible adult, I’m trying to make a future for myself and for whomever else I might end up with going forward.

I was taking life too seriously.  And I was forgetting about what’s important.  I was forgetting about what really mattered.

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So Dr. Spod and myself dealt with some emergency patients for a few hours.  Dog hit by car.  Dog ate too much chocolate.

A few hours later, in the middle of the night, he asked me again.  What is your favourite holiday?

I had no answer.  I was dealing with things in the hospital.

So…….

On Thanksgiving night, 1991 (technically in the middle of the morning on Friday), Dr. Spod ordered me to go home.  I didn’t understand.  It’s like he’s kicking me out of the hospital.  WTF?  What did I do wrong?  He wouldn’t tell me.

I performed the surgicals and medicals perfectly.  Why is he kicking me out of the teaching hospital?

I was devastated.  I went home to my shitty little apartment off campus.  I packed a bag.  And I headed home.

Home was only about an hour away, give or take.  So that wasn’t a big deal.  But I thought my professional future was done.  And I didn’t even know why.

When I got home my parents were shocked to see me.  I hadn’t called ahead.  But we sat down at the table and there were leftovers.  And we ate ’em.

And being at home with family was … I don’t know the exact word.  But it was what I needed.

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When I got back to school two days later I asked Dr. Spod what I’d done wrong.  He didn’t answer exactly, but he did say this…

“My parents were killed in a car accident years ago.  I can never see them again.  Don’t forget what’s important.”

I was stunned.  Hearing that from one of your mentors is… well it’s ground shaking.

It’s something I’ve never been able to repay.  And never will be able to.  But in spite of the fact that I have not spoken to him in years, he gave me a perspective which was invaluable.

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What I came to learn that Thanksgiving (or technically slightly past Thanksgiving) in 1991 is this…

It’s not about getting what you want.

It’s about wanting what you’ve already got.

I’ve never had to worry about where my next meal was coming from.  I have a roof over my head.  I have heat.  In the summer I have A/C.

I have people who love me.

Negative things happen to all of us.  Every day.  And it’s really easy to get caught up in the negative.  Lord know I have at times.

I’m trying to not do that these days.  Because in spite of negatives, there’s a lot of good out there to be found.

If you look for it, you’ll find it.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  Enjoy what you have.  And whom you have.

That’s really all which matters.  Enjoy your holidays.

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