The Recommendation

Many decades ago I was in your shoes.

I see in you exactly the same character flaws. An unwavering blind ambition so strong it can best be described as a rip current. The kind of underwater force that you don't see coming and have to give yourself into it to in fact save yourself from it. A force of nature. An untenable belief that is so powerful you bend to it so as to hopefully not be broken by it. This is what magic, miracles, and civilizations arise from. This is what medicine needs as its nidus to become its next iteration. This is what heals, compels and inspires those that follow us.

In my shoes, so many years ago as I set forth to build my own career, I called it blind ambition. It was my most valuable asset. I grafted it to my compassion and I let it take wing. To this day I am still this girl. A creator of possibilities among a sea of sharks who will never dream of being anything else. They can do them, I am sticking with me. She will carry me on journeys to far away places. She will keep me grounded when the civil war around me beckons me to dump my kindness and throw stones along with the masses. She will be the girl saving the wrens, the bees, and the poppies in the fields. She will never be alone, and she will never seek harm for personal gain. There is comfort in the little beings who need me. Whatever you want other people to know about you is reflected in your belief in yourself and how you live your life.

It is impossible for me, or anyone else, to define, defend, or promote you in any capacity that should ever matter. Life is just that way. A long road of bumps, pit stops, sunbeams breaking from clouds, and trees to find that place that you belong simply by the terms you define it to be. Never consider another opinion, or definition to where your place belongs. Never ask for a letter to remind you who you are not, nor care if they provide it. You are all you ever need to be. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and do good. The world will welcome you and you will find your place.

P.S. IF I can find my original letter to the vet school I will post it. I am sure I have not strayed from its gravitas, but, I hope it remains buried. I don't need to look back to remember where (or who) I want to be.