Holiday Rituals

Written by: KUMC School of Medicine

Read on for holiday rituals that include Christmas eve, pajamas, Run DMC, cats, sleepovers, Indian food, Chinese food, and more.

Bypass

Linzy Kirkpatrick, M1, Class of 2023

The iridescent glow of cellophane windows

wraps the building in a blanket of fuchsia and blue,

a playful dance of colors that shift

as I walk past. It’s the first

of many similar days to come.

The corridors whisk me through a

playful maze, a tenuous

barrier between the parents

who wait for news and those of us who

witness it.

The Stone Discovered

Connor Stubblefield, M2, Class of 2022

Hidden down in darkest cloister, depth of all the earth, a Stone, directed slowly upward through layers of time and story, waited.

The Stone was defined, yet not, sequestered mystery, definition down, dampened, the mirror darkened.

A Week In Hell

Nathan Stacy, M2, Class of 2022

 My momma was recently diagnosed with cancer of her jaw. She underwent something called a “Flap Surgery”, which removed part of her jaw and replaced it with her leg bone. These are some of my reflections about the experience my family went through during this trying time. I wrote some during this time period, and some afterwards, so the past-tense/present-tense jumps around a little bit.

Creativity Intervenes

Miranda Heppler, M2, Class of 2022

Lounging through the midday once again

Clouds looming, window ajar, my mind’s unable to attend

To the task at hand: commitment to learning; endless memorization

I wish I could exude more dedication to attaining this vocation

Farmland

Nathan Stacy, M2, Class of 2022

My fiancé’s Grandpa is a man you won’t easily forget. He commands a room. A natural born storyteller, with 80 years of experience spinning yarns, he can paint a vivid picture that completely draws you in, in a heartbeat.

He was spinning one of his yarns to me as we took his 4-wheeler (the Gator) to tour his farm fields.

Reach for the Moon, End up a Fleming

David Embers, M4, Class of 2020

I remember 4th grade like it was yesterday, likely because that is when I peaked. It could have been a fun year, but unfortunately for me, it wasn’t. You see, my podmates all had cooties. You read that right, ALL of my podmates. It was me and three girls: Brooke, Sasha, and Rebecca. All confirmed cooties. What a joke. In hindsight, Mrs. Stevenson did it on purpose because she knew me and my best friend Josh were tight as heck and could have basically taught the class if we wanted to. But whatever.

Anyway, at the front of the room above the chalkboard was a poster. “Reach for the moon, and even if you miss, you’ll land amongst the stars.” It was catchy. No lie, the first few times I read that it gave me goosebumps. Thought I might just mess around and change the world. Made me want to be extra precise on the folds for my construction paper popper that would inevitably get taken away before recess. Made me want to be somebody.

Now, looking back, I laugh at 4th grade David. In fact, I want to slap him in the back of the head.

Ode to the Jumper

Stefano Byer, M2, Class of 2022

                                                                                             5

Does the ground call for you?

You, from your perch on the railing.

What do you see?

Freedom? Escape? Finality?

Advice For the First Years

In the All-Knowing Wisdom of the M2-M4’s, we’ve put together a compilation of little pieces of advice for the newbies.

“Don’t treat medical school like a race. Treat it like a marathon. Place as high as you can manage, but once you cross the finish line nobody can take that accomplishment away from you.” — Daniel Ortiz, Class of 2020

“ALWAYS have a jacket. The HEB is colder than Antarctica.”– Anonymous, Class of 2021

Threshold

Linzy Kirkpatrick, M1, Class of 2023

The clicking rip of velcro began
a soft,
hesitant,
non-committal sigh, a tck tck tck
that gathered momentum
and volume, built brick upon brick
until it was a wall, insurmountable–