[WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD UP TO SEASON 9]
We’ve cried a thousand times and we’ve laughed a thousand times more. We’ve experienced the repercussions of cutting an LVAD wire and had our eyebrows shaved off by Mama Burke. We’ve survived the near-death of our husband in a hospital shooting and recovered from a plane crash. We were on the medical journey of a lifetime. We didn’t just watch it, we lived it. We were Meredith and George and Derek and Callie and Lexie all in one. Grey’s Anatomy taught us to thrive, and thrive we did.
Love your family even when they give you a reason not to. Families can sometimes be a little too much. Whether it be on how they discipline you or the fact that they’re coming back into your life after fifteen years, love them. We let Lexie into our lives and we loved her (even though Meredith really didn't want us to in the beginning). Chances are, there is a reason behind their actions. The reason may not be fair nor justified, but it’s there. And so are they. Give them a chance and listen to them. They wouldn’t be here if they didn’t want to.
Believe in yourself. You are your biggest motivator. We watched Karev bring orphan children from Africa and do various pro-bono surgeries on them. We walked with Arizona as she learned what it meant to have a prosthetic leg. If you don’t believe in yourself, then who will? Encourage yourself to do things. Don’t be scared to take chances. Believe that you can actually achieve your goals. If you don’t think you can succeed, you won’t. Put yourself in a positive mindset. Focus on the journey ahead, but don’t live there. Live now. Believe in yourself now. Believe in yourself later. You can do it. I believe in you. Now you believe in you.
Be the friend you need. While some of us probably didn't get PTSD because we had a gun to our head during our best friend's husband's surgery, we can still be a good friend. Being a good friend means being there for them whenever their choices differ from your own. Being a good friend is paying for dinner whenever they don’t have enough money. Being a good friend is letting them cry to you (once again) about the boy who keeps breaking their heart. Support your friends in all their decisions and love them when they’re wrong. Be the kind of person you’d want someone to be for you. Making the tough choice isn’t easy. So make the right choice: be a good friend.
Take chances. Be it that you’re thinking of applying to med school or joining a rock band, do it. You’ll regret it more if you don’t take the chance than you will taking it. Together, we fell in love with Denny, a patient, and cracked open a chest when our attending wasn't around just to save someone's life. Experience things. Learn from your mistakes. Take more chances. Be adventurous. Be spontaneous. Don’t stop taking chances. Albeit, be prepared to fail. Don’t worry about failing, but be informed about the possibility. Be prepared for things not working out. Have a backup plan. Do what you want to do (within appropriate reason, of course---don’t move out of your parent’s house and into your drug-addict boyfriend’s). Take chances and don’t be scared.
