Choices

I did everything the 'right' way. I graduated from high school, at the top of my class. I went to college. I met a boy, picked a major and was on the dean's list. I committed the first major sin when I elected not to get married to the boy I dated almost all through college. Oh the horrors - dashing my mother's dreams of graduation - wedding - BABIES! To this day I swear my mother would give her left arm for a grandchild right now. She would give her right arm, but that one she needs for holding that grandbaby.

I stayed in the city where I went to college, commiting a major family sin by not returning to the city where the majority of my family lives. And I had a job that no one can quite understand. You know, because being a nurse is SO COMPLICATED. I went to work, I took care of pregnant people. And babies. That's not so hard, is it?

I worked as a nurse for several years, but I realized that while nursing was great, it wasn't something that I could imagine doing for the rest of my life. So I went back to school and quit my job. Oh dear. Talk about something that is hard to explain to people who don't really understand you anyway. You thought understanding nursing was complicated? Try explaining to that group about medical school.

So here we are, applications submitted, although I expect that I am going to have to reapply next year to get in. Which is ok - I could certainly spend another year doing things other than medical school. It might not have been my original plan, but there are worse things than not getting what you want the second you want them. Or so I've been told.

I have ruined my 'perfect path' status, which I am perfectly ok with. The thing that bothers me is that there is always a subtle undertone at family gatherings...I'm the one who *gasp* went back to school. Seriously.

I'm not sure what upsets me more, that I feel like they secretly look down on me for returning to school, or that maybe they're right and going back to school really was a horrible idea.

An Informal Survey

So I would like to take an informal survey...

If someone who you were close to said some very hurtful (not to mention untrue) things about you, and you found out by accident (the person saying them had no reason to believe that you would ever know what was said), do you still have the right to be upset? Or is it your own fault for finding out things you weren't supposed to know?