Never Say Never!

Throughout my 33 years of existence, I have frequently experienced the underlying truth of the phrase, "Never say never".

For example, since I was a child, I swore that I would never attend Brigham Young University...I graduated from BYU in 2007.

As many of you know, while I was in the Army I was a paratrooper. I frequently told anyone who would listen, however, that I would never allow myself to be stationed at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, which was the home of the Army Airborne and had a reputation for being a tough assignment...I spent my last two years in the Army there.

After I was discharged from the Army, I swore that I would never go back into the military. This was a double "never" since I had also vehemently maintained that I would never enter the Navy...I am currently an Ensign in the Navy Reserve and will be a physician in the Navy when I graduate next year.

Due to a misconceived dislike of all things California, I swore that I would never marry a California girl...my wife is from the Sacramento area.

Finally, my most recent "never" moment involves an opinion that surgeons are nothing more than glorified plumbers and my vehement belief that I would never want to become a surgeon...After a highly enjoyable surgery clerkship in Manhattan, I now plan on applying to Navy surgery residencies this summer.

The only question left is why haven't I taken these lessons to heart. I guess I'll "never" learn!