The Winds of Change

So, I've noticed that I now have a total of 5 followers. This is awesome and I thank you for reading!

I have had the most exciting weekend. I have been to two very different places: Blacksburg,VA and Raleigh,NC. As most of you know I'm applying to grad school so I have been quite blessed to have these interviews. But, they were two different experiences with one being a college town about the size of Lynchburg and the other being in a large city. And as I was driving the nearly 400 miles all over the place by myself, I had a lot of time to think and ponder and the other such things that people do while driving alone. I had three different routes that provided for a very entertaining drive. The more I though about it though, the more I thought of a pretty cool analogy pertaining to relationships. So I hope it makes sense and I would love the feedback...

There are mainly two types of relationships that people get into: safe relationships which turn out ok (but not always), and relationships that are risky but promising and can end up being great. I am going to try to tie my school choosing to this...ok? so right now it looks like I'm choosing between VA TECH and NC State University.

The drive down to Tech was very familiar and common because I have been there many times. The town of Blacksburg is a little bigger than Lynchburg but not by much. It has a very similar feel to it and it would feel like a natural progression to chose to go there. Like this, there are relationships that are very easy. Guy meets girl, they go out, things go well, they never really have any bumps or mountains to deal with, they get engaged, and married and live "happily ever after." I must say if you are one of the very few people who have this kind of relationship, you are indeed blessed with an enormous amount of patience and tolerance because it takes a lot of compromise to mesh together well.

Driving from VA Tech to NC State was a totally new drive for me. It was a beautiful ride. Coming off the blue ridge mountains provided a most spectacular view going into North Carolina. I wouldn't normally take this way because it is an hour longer than travelling from my house, but it was shorter than drive back to my house and down from there. Anywho, yes it was a totally a new experience and driving into Raleigh. I was more nervous because, though I had my little GPS, I was unfamiliar with my surroundings. The school I have never been to and it is huge. It was a very impressive place...not that Tech wasn't but I have seen Tech so many more times. This can be correlated to the second type of relationship, the risky one. This is the relationship that everyone said was doomed to fail or the "bad guy" relationship. It is no secret that girls tend to be attracted to a guy that is confident (not arrogant) and sometimes the guy that is classified as a "bad guy." It is a mystery why that is, but I believe it has to do with the risk. The challenge of investing in someone else with the prayer that they will reciprocate the emotion/action in the same way if not greater is attractive especially to me because I care about people. The relationship that probably will pay off if there is time invested and you work together to overcome problems. Boy meets girl, they go out, things start great, start to slip, face a lot of bumps and problems, and then have two options. They can throw in the towel and leave, or they can work it out. Working it out is one of those phrases that is used too much. It also can be very hard to stay with it. Working it out sometimes is one sided because the other person may not be ready for such a commitment so you have to adjust your thinking and emotional state. Usually though, those relationships that are a little rocky in the beginning tend to be the strong ones in the end. All because you took a risk and chose the person you felt would be the best fit (for whatever reason). In relation to choosing a school, NC State would be the biggest change, the biggest risk, and the biggest challenge. Does this mean I'm kindda scared? heck yes...but that is totally fine. Everything we do has a certain amount of risk involved, but the payoff is usually amazing when something finally is completed.

I guess what I am trying to say to both guys and girls is, #1. take a risk already and #2. don't lose hope when something or someone doesn't work out quite the way you imagined or plan...you never know what the Lord has planned until you seek His will in it. Also, invest in what you love...don't always take the obvious path (this is of course if you do not feel lead in one particular way or another through prayer) because the only way you grow is to learn and to try new things. Break out of the old habits of dating one type of person all the time. You may be surprised that the person that is always there or the person that no one expects will be the most wonderful person on earth.

Thanks for listening...I hope this was a source of encouragement!
Dr. Jess, M.D.