The sign of a good doctor.

I spent last week in Boston with a campus ministry group from Grand Valley. It was an amazing trip. We went around to different rehab facilities, rest homes, and homeless shelters to help out. Lots of painting and convincing sheltered Grand Rapids kids that rest homes are gross by nature. It was real good to get back to Boston. I think for the first time I truly felt like an adult. I was the "adult leader" for the trip and kind of had the role of being the responsible one. I felt very comfortable in that role. My co-leader is a super indecisive people-pleaser, which expanded my role a lot. I thought we made a real good team.

I got to meet with a few old friends from college and an old professor. While meeting with the old professor I further felt like a real adult. We only talked for like 10 min., but at one point he got real quiet and started telling me about some career moves he was looking into. While we were talking I realized that he wasn't Prof. Richard Lawler, PhD Yale University, and I wasn't John McClain, college student. He was Rich and I was John. Sometime in the past 3 years I have attained adulthood. My superiors are no longer socially dominant over me. They are, to some degree, friends. I guess the fact that I'm going climbing with my boss indicates a level of friendship.

I like to hope that I will always retain a bit of childhood. As long as I laugh at the word "Pooberry" I think I'm safe.

In Boston I met somebody who was going to Harvard's undergrad/med school combination program. She was in her early 40's and had survived a near-fatal assault and recovery from severe brain injury. The funny thing about her was her extreme thoroughness. When riding the T she knew the exact spot to stand at each station in order to end up exactly where she wanted to be at her destination. For example, if she is taking taking the red line from Harvard, you wait at the second Pepsi machine and it will put you in front of the stairs at Shawmut. If you are going from Downtown Crossing to Shawmut you wait at the first fan. I've always heard that the sign of a good doctor is thoroughness. It makes me wonder how thorough I am in my life. I think I am more than many, but far from very thorough. I think I hold communication to a higher priority, but maybe I need to work on thoroughness.

Now to finish a long paper and begin another long paper. Big couple of days ahead of me.