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Back in grade
school, math and science were the subjects I excelled at. I
loved the constant competition. It came naturally to me.
Science was
the most intriguing because of the unknowns. Math was more
logical. I went to a tiny Catholic elementary school, but I had
this fabulous Anatomy teacher who actually managed to get a real
cadaver for our class to work on. I couldn’t wait to be the
first volunteer when I saw the buzz saw for exploring the chest
cavity. Maybe that’s where my medical and construction
trajectories intersected.
At that point,
I was on the road to a career in medicine. But it was math and
construction that my family talked about at the dinner table.
Nature and nurture had begun to part.
In high
school, math was still a no-brainer. Science was still
compelling, but I realized that if I was really going to pursue
a career in medicine, it would inevitably include blood.
That was the show stopper. The advanced science classes required
that I watch open heart surgery. To this day, I can’t even look
at blood without the fear of passing out.
I’ve since
learned there are techniques for overcoming that fear. But back
then I had no idea. Now that I know, I’m keeping that knowledge
for my next life. In the meantime, I’m not unhappy with my
career in construction, which began with a buzz saw and a
cadaver. |
