GRATITUDE

 The day-to-day life may seem boring with the same routine of waking up and going to work. The demanding workplace, and the usual problems, the traffic, back home is the cooking dinner, bathing the baby, and putting her to sleep. We might think that we are not making much progress in life, but there are times when I actually have the time to sit back and reflect on my life journey and I realize that I have come a long way. This happened the other day when I was shortlisting doctors for a medical officer post in our hospital. I realized I was in the job hunting position just a few years ago trying to write my exams and get into the specialisation program.

I have come a long way and tried to enjoy the journey and have fun. The job market for doctors has become very competitive. It is hard to believe that thousands of doctors in South Africa struggle to find a government job after they finish their community service. One of them actually made a touching video on social media to make people aware of the doctor unemployment crisis. A couple of our registrars who also finished specializing are going to be without a job until they figure something out.

As humans, our brain tends to drift towards negativity. We tend to spend a lot of time thinking about the things we don’t have and not wanting what we already have. I was listening to a program where Oprah Winfrey was talking about happiness in life. She pointed out that, during challenging times in her life, she often sits down and starts writing in her gratitude journal. And the one time she wrote seventy-two things that she is grateful about.

I know my workplace is not without problems but I am truly grateful that I have a full-time job that is meaningful and I can support my family. I know I still need more experience regarding surgical procedures, or I still want to do a fellowship but I am happy I have come all this far and specialized in the first place! And I love my job!


This is me about 20 years ago when I just started medical school, preparing for one of my exams. the photographer was my brother running around the house with his new digital camera and capturing every moment







 

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