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In my last post I explained that I had my SPAL this last week. Well…it happened. It went well. There were a few minor details that I had missed during my physical examination, which were silly mistakes that I know I won’t make again, I was given lots of positive feedback from my proctor about things that went well. I’m certain that I scored high on the humanistic and technical sides of the exam. When I left the exam, I felt good about how I did and even the note than I wrote following the encounter with the patient. We won’t get our grades back for another few weeks, but I wasn’t contacted by any of the faculty this week meaning I probably didn’t fail. Woho! Another test in the books. Two more lecture tests coming up on Tuesday this week.
The reason I titled this article as “Shining Shoes” is because my shoes and polishing them is something that has given me confidence. About 6-7 years ago I bought dress shoes. I bought a black pair and a brown pair of Ecco’s. (I can see Dr. Marble shaking his head right now for wearing shoes that are 6-7 years old.) Tradehome ordered them for me so I could get the size and style that I wanted. They have served me very well in multiple interviews, professional ventures, and whenever I have needed to look my best. I wore them to my job interviews at Chick Fil A and Pueblo Ankle and Foot Care. I wore them on my exam days in college. I still wear them on my exam days in medical school. I even wore them on my wedding day!!! I wore them for my interview at DMU as well. Each time I put them on, I think of those times that they have served me so well. I know they are just a pair of shoes, but to me they mean more. The night before something important to me happens, I polish them. I don’t do anything too complicated, just a brush and some balsam wax to make them look clean and keep the leather looking good. This could be a metaphor for so many things in life, and I will leave you to your imaginations to come up with one if you like, but for me the shoes mean enough. I take care of them. They, once again, helped me look my best and be a professional during my SPAL exam.
My running has been going great! This week I really wanted to work on my 5k time, and it is much better than when I started a few months ago. Again, if anyone wants to follow me on Strava, all my runs are posted on there! When I first started a couple of months ago, my 5k time was over 30 minutes. Well today I ran it at 26:39. When I finished, I couldn’t believe it! In all the times that I have run the 5K in Manassa, Colorado for their Pioneer Day Celebration I have NEVER run it that fast! Gosh it was a good feeling! I won’t be stopping there either! It has been getting too cold to run outside, so I have mostly been on the treadmill now but today was an unusually warm day, so I ran outside and surprised myself. I can’t wait to see that time continue to get shorter and shorter!
Levi Smith, PMAC & Podiatric Medical Student @ DMU