Miss Otis Regrets

I suppose there are several things that I would change about my life if I was given the opportunity. This, to me, is different, though, than saying, "I regret this/that." In my mind it's the difference between circumstances that are beyond our control and things that we knowingly did and would now change.



Up until now I've always been able to feel very good about the choices I'd made and about not having had any real regrets.



I've come to see, though, that there is one thing that I regret having done. While moving my belongings from my college apartment (in the week after graduation and before my wedding) to my soon-to-be husband's apartment, I foolishly chose to rid myself of the notebooks that contained the vast majority of notes from my four years of higher education into the dumpster near our parking lot rather than pack, move, and unpack (or store) them for the remainder of my life. :(



At the time it felt rather good to free myself of it all, although I did question myself (in a small corner of my brain) as to whether that would be something I, at some point, would like to take back. But now, after almost 7 years, I realize that although I still feel further ahead intelectually after having gone through college than before I went, I am sure that I do not still retain all of the finer points of all subjects I studied. (oh well...)

Speaking of college graduations, I just heard something on my way in to the clinic tonight. Drew Mariani and Sheila Liaugminus were discussing the fact that this country's current president was invited to be the guest of honor and commencement speaker at Notre Dame. Some people are really over-the-edge upset about this news. And, for me, it is upsetting. But even more than angry I'm just really disappointed. Look at the scandal that that has the potential to cause!

As long as I'm on a rant about governmental happenings and news, I just have to say a word about the Conscience Clause. It completely and utterly boggles and baffles my mind that anyone in this country would support taking away (health care) workers' rights to decide, based on his or her own beliefs, what they are willing to do or not willing to do. Really, isn't this America where people are free to decide those kinds of things for themselves on any grounds, religious or otherwise? I always thought, growing up here, that that was one of the things that this country prided itself on, and I just can't understand how there could be anybody, pro-life or not, who could support and/or justify the president's planned course of action. To me, it seems like an obvious issue that everyone should be able to agree on and see the logic against.

...and I didn't even study government and politics! ;) heh heh