Have you ever become frustrated with a printer? Maybe you experienced high blood pressure when you couldn't connect to that server? I used to fix those problems and myriad other network, computer, and cyber issues during my 20 years in IT. After so many years I became burned out and exhausted with IT but more importantly I felt unfulfilled. Depression set in. I despaired about my future. My income was high and my mental health was low. A thought slowly grew in my mind: I could go back to school. The thought terrified me. During my time in IT I supported numerous clinics at Duke University Hospital. My thoughts began to gain cohesion and purpose. I researched options and different career paths in healthcare. During this period I looked primarily at the physician assistant and the cardiac sonography careers. After speaking with my prior contacts I made during my time at Duke, I finally decided that the cardiac ultrasound graduate program was the right choice. It felt right. Now long after deciding, I realized without actually being cognizant of it, that I had just committed - albeit only to myself at the time - to go back to school. Soon after I enrolled in classes at Durham Technical Community College in order to meet the prerequisite class requirements. Classes included Anatomy and Physiology 1&2, general chemistry, medical terminology, and general biology. After a year of working and taking classes, I applied to the Duke Ultrasound Program and a few months later I received a letter of acceptance. I submitted my two week notice to my employer, took out a home equity loan in order to live on and pay for school, and went on a seven day cruise as a reward to myself! In part I chose the cardiac ultrasound path as the physician assistant course required a lot of chemistry. Honestly, I'm awful at chemistry! Mainly however, I felt I could help patients in a greater capacity as a sonographer. Sonographers are the eyes for the cardiologists, giving them a window in each person's heart and in many cases, sonographers save lives due to their skill and knowledge. I wanted to be a part of that. I wanted to connect with people and assist in their care. I now have a new excitement when I wake up in the mornings that I didn't have in IT. And more importantly I feel like I'm making a difference.

Our bodies will ultimately fail us. Everyone ages, but not everyone ages the same way. Living a healthy lifestyle can assuage the effects the passage of time has on not only our bodies, but our minds as well. Doing so isn't a panacea, but it does increase the odds that living a long active life is possible. I worked in healthcare IT for 15 years at Duke Hospital and during that time, I saw the negative effects that obesity has on people. Living a healthy lifestyle decreases my footprint on the healthcare system, which is already overwhelmed as evidenced by the short time doctors have with their patients. Obesity has increased alarmingly over the last three to four decades and it's only getting worse. Eating healthy increases my energy during the day; I don't feel lethargic or tired. Exercising - which for me includes Orange Theory Fitness twice a week, running, and working out in my home gym - increases cardiovascular fitness and strengthens the heart muscle. Just like other muscles of the body, the heart needs a workout too! Mental health is often overlooked. I've been talking with a therapist for over six years now. She has helped me through tough times, times when I was really struggling with relationships, loneliness, and other issues. For me, a healthy lifestyle includes both physical, mental and spiritual well being.

"To be in the world, but not of the world" - Accept what comes to you, know that we are passing through, and our real selves are our souls. Acceptance is the hardest lesson we have to learn as our minds constantly tug our attention outwards, wanting and desiring. Be yourself, for when you repress who you are fundamentally to make others happy or not to disappoint, you only succeed in making yourself miserable.