Never Too Late

"So, what's a nice boy from Colorado doing in Maine?" she asked. That's how the conversation started. I explained I'd come here to attend medical school but she persisted, "Still, why Maine?" And that is the rest of the story.

Since I tend to be slightly older than the typical medical school applicant (I won't tell my age but then again, I won't ask for yours, either -- fair enough?), locating a school that was interested in my peculiar qualifications wasn't easy. Fortunately, I'd been encouraged to apply to an Osteopathic College in Maine by doctors and nurses I'd worked with in Boston. Turns out, it was like being fixed up for a date by friends who know both you and the girl; they can see a good match in the making. As is often the case, they were right, and so here I am.

"But surely," she said, "there must have been schools closer to home." And, of course, that's true. But finding one that looks at the older individual and sees a doctor in disguise is not a matter of geography. It's the character of the school that makes the difference and I've been blessed with one with that had the character to say, "better late than never."

That's tremendously important. Depending on what's at stake, the words too late may mean very little or so much they break a heart. When you're talking about your life, the person you are, and the one you hope to become -- well, you see what I mean. According to the songwriter, "it's never too late to shoot for the stars, regardless of who you are." For me, this spot on the southern coast of Maine is the place where reaching begins, where even the sky imposes no limits.

(If Today Was Your Last Day by Nickelback)

(Photo of University of New England, Alfond Building, Biddeford ME by Farm3, license unknown, via Zemanta)