Hope is never lost

As I look back at the past few years of my life, counting the ones before Covid, it was not the easiest road to get to where I am right now. Especially the last three years have been harder than before. On the verge of turning thirty years old, I examined where I was at in life. It was far off from what I had hoped, but as I looked closely, I asked myself if I had really done the work to get me to that place wher I hoped to be. I looked at my place of work— was it really what I wanted to keep doing? Was it really taking me forward or just keeping me stuck in the same place without knowing if I was ever going to grow professionally? And was it going to allow me to pursue my dreams or reach my goals? After celebrating my 29th birthday, I made the decision to go back to school and pursue the Pharmacy Technician Diploma. I was ready to change my life. At first, I was determined, and made sure I was able to meet the criteria to be able to start classes on time. I adjusted my work schedule to be able to both work, and study. But, at times I would double guess myself and think about how much more pressure I was putting on myself. Was I going to be a good student? Was my age going to make it a struggle to learn? Was I doing the right thing by going back to school? There were so many doubts that I was going to be able to make it. My routine changed so much. I found myself waking much earlier to be able to have more time to study just before going to work, especially when there was an exam. The nights were longer, as my classes were in the afternoon. Getting home so late was exhausting after a long day and it felt even longer knowing that there was schoolwork to be done. It was one of the most difficult things I put myself through, but I was able to accomplish it and graduate. Little did I know that going to school was going to feel like a breeze when compared to preparing myself for the licensing exams. It pushed my limits, tested my patience and increased my stress levels. I doubted my capacity to be able to feel accomplished. It took me three years and the maximum number of chances to pass both the written exams. At the end, when all my hope had been exhausted, I found that I had finally made it through my last exam and was able to register. Behind all the struggle there was a life lesson: when the struggle is the biggest and hope seems like it’s about to extinguish, that is when we have to be more tenacious and find the strength to carry us. Even if we find ourselves in the darkest moments, we have to believe that there is always light at the end, and a new day always comes along full of opportunities and more chances to become who we set ourselves to be. I am now ready to start a new chapter in my life. Tammy’s story is the ninth entry in our reader writing contest. Thank you to everyone who has submitted stories, blogs and poems. Each week we’ll publish one reader’s entry and in March, the editorial staff of CanadianHealthcareNetwork.ca will choose three winners for a grand prize of a $500 gift card and two honourable mentions for $250.

Hope is never lost

Register for free access or login.

Related Topics