They begin, they change, they travel, they earn. Things happen early and the road looks open.
Some lives move slowly.
Years pass in classrooms and hospitals. Exams follow exams. The world outside keeps moving while time inside feels suspended.
Medicine is strange that way. It asks for youth first. It promises meaning later.
But “later” is a heavy word.
Sometimes there is a quiet regret in that delay. Not loud enough to be spoken, not sharp enough to be called a mistake. Just a small thought that passes through the mind:
What if another road had been chosen?
Still, the path continues. Slowly. Patiently.
Because some lives are not fast stories.
They are long ones.
If you were to choose something other than what you’re currently doing, what would it be?
When life starts late, everything seems to start late and you can actually see and feel the difference in the way things unfold. Sometimes I catch myself thinking how different things might have been if I had started earlier. Honestly, that thought hurts quite a lot.
But at the same time, I also believe that the things meant for you come to you at the right time.
I relate to this deeply. My own journey moved slowly. I began with a JRF while many of my PhD friends advanced quickly, but I had to pause midway due to personal choices. Years later, I completed my PhD while they were already well established. Yet I don’t feel disheartened. I don’t believe in “if not this, then another way.” My heart was always with research, and I carried it through to completion. The delays were part of my path, not detours, and I accept them with patience.