New Year's Day

Dear Bono:

Happy New Year!  Yes, I realize it is JULY 1st.  But it my world, July 1st is definitely New Year's Day.

Maybe I should introduce myself. I was born somewhere in the middle of America in the early 80s, went to college in a small town, then met a guy, fell in love after bonding over the fact we both were listining to the "Best of 1990-2000 B Sides" one fateful day in 2003, got married at a young age (people in my religion tend to do that), and the rest is history.  Well not really.  I never understood why movies all end when the people fall in love.  After all, that is when the story really gets interesting.  After marriage, we moved to Italy, where my husband studied international relations, and I watched a lot of MTV (did you realize that there is this Italian singer named Vasco Rossi who basically dresses and does his hair exactly like you?), and picked up running and got in the best shape in my life.  A year later, we moved back to America where I started medical school in a big East Coast city, saw your band on tour (you may remember me from grabbing your thigh at the Verizon Center Vertigo show.  No?  Hmmm.. well, I remember it), studied my brains out, and then decided to go into urology (you know, the surgeons for kidneys and man-bits.)

And after all that, you have now earned the right to learn why today is New Year's Day.  In the medical world in America, today is the day that all the medical trainees advance a year.  The students become interns, the interns become 2nd year residents, the chiefs go off to enjoy one last breather before having real responsibility, etc.  This is my 5th New Year's Day.  On my first one, I was on call.  I entered the hospital at 5:30 am with some Cheerios still not sure if they wanted to stay in my stomach or end up on the upholstery of my 2006 fleet Toyota Corolla.  33 hour later, I walked out of the hospital.  I had no sleep and the only thing I had to eat was a sip of a can of Ensure.  I was convinced I could not do my job.  But here I am.  Now 4 New Year's Days later, I keep going.  Day in, and day out.  I chalk it up to stubbornness.  After all, I think about quitting almost every day.  I just never get around to it.

Just make sure to not ever get sick in July.

Sincerely,

JP