A few weeks ago Brett Favre decided to once again come out of retirement.  To many a football fan his indecisiveness has gotten old and tiresome.  There are many (especially those in Green Bay) that don’t understand why he could not have left on a relatively high note a few years ago with his legacy intact.  Another well known athlete made the same choice almost a decade ago and upset many fans when Michael Jordon adorned a Washington jersey.  These great athletes had nothing left to prove in their profession, they knew that and left but soon found themselves drawn back in.

            This dilemma faces many people in their profession, whether it is athletics or something else.  I was in a similar though less publicized situation seven years ago.  I was one year removed from playing college water polo and about to begin my third year of veterinary school.  The last year that I played we went on a great run and won the national club collegiate championship.  It was a great experience, but one that I was doing while in the midst of my first year of veterinary school.  It was a crazy time and one that I vowed not to do again.  The next year the team had a down year so they approached me about coming back one more year since I still had eligibility.  My first reaction was “no way!”  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I still had the itch to compete.  So I went to one practice, then another.  Then I went to our first tournament and came off the bench.  By halfway through the season I was starting again and fully immersed.  Needless to say it was a busy time; I could eat a 6 pack of heavy glazed donuts and still be hungry two hours later.  I would study in between games and do wrist exercises during class.  My instructor was nice enough to let me take a neurology exam a day early so I could then jump on a red-eye flight and join my teammates in California for the championships.  We ended up falling one goal short in the semifinals to the host team and eventual champion.  It was a hectic time, we came up a little short and I’ll admit my grades probably suffered as well.  As I look back now it is something I definitely would not have given up.  Now seven years removed I know I can never go back to playing water polo at that level, my body won’t let me.

            Now as I am immersed fully in the veterinary profession I have a new set of skills that I practice daily.  My mind is trained to process information in a way to derive a diagnosis.  As the first few years have gone by I find certain surgeries easier to do as I have practiced them again and again.  It is called the practice of medicine because everyday we are practicing our skills, honing in on becoming better at our trait.  I know there will come a time way in the future when it will be time for me to move on.  It may just be time for me to retire, to pursue another challenge, or my body is unable to perform the tasks I take for granted today.  But how will I know it is time?  And when I do decide to move on what will I do if I still have that taste in my mouth?  There are plenty of veterinarians who face this dilemma everyday.  The practice owner who said they would sell to their associate in 2 years, but 4 years have now passed by.  The owner who did sell his practice but a year later opens a new practice down the road. These situations happen and many a times can not be convenient for others.  There are many reasons for these reconsiderations such as money.  But to many of us we are just like Brett Favre, we just can’t get the taste out of our mouths.  Despite the naysayers we feel compelled to give it another go because we know if we do not we’ll be left asking ‘what if’ many years later when it is finally too late.