Curiosity & Wisdom

Megan Sullivan - Florida

V:50 I:4 Creative Corner Winner

Pencil

Curiosity

Wisdom

The Darndest Things

Tom has exceptional talent for telling a story. This Foot in Mouth piece is hysterical.

Tom Wootton - Cornell

V:50 I:4 - Foot in Mouth Disease 2nd Place

The Darndest Things

When a close friend, Keri, asked me to give a talk to her sixth-grade class, I was pretty hesitant.  I’m not generally intimidated by sixth-graders, but I wasn’t given a whole lot of guidance.  Our multiple times discussions always devolved into the same questions, and the same ambiguous replies.

“What should I talk about?”

“Whatever you want!”

“How long do you I have to talk?”

“Whatever you need.”

“What are you working on in class?”

“(Insert some topic I haven’t considered since 6^th grade)”

“Should it be related to that?”

“It can be… if you want it to be.”

Thanks Keri. Keri is a fantastic teacher—young, enthusiasticmart, etc.—but I got the impression that with only 3 days before winter break, she was on the verge of checking out.  As a vet student, home for winter break, I understood the sentiment. And I figured that any class time I filled would be a well-deserved break for her.  So I decided to hop in.  I’d talk about sharks.

I’ve always been interested in marine biology (I was

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More Winning Memes from Life as a Vet Student!!

Here are the other three of our favorite veterinary student memes from the Life as a Vet Student category:

Ann Abress - St. George's University

 Eric Littman - Tufts

 Joe Swartz - Texas A&M

Winning Memes for Life as a Vet Student Category!!!

These are three our favorite memes that were submitted for the Life as a Vet Student category:

Joe Swartz - Texas A&M

Rikki Schroeder - Colorado State

Tony Nitido - Western

When You Let Me Go

Teigen Bond - Atlantic Veterinary College

V:50 I:4 Creative Corner Winner

When You Let Me Go

You have the power to let me go, the privilege to give me one last gift – a tribute to our everlasting bond. When you pick up your car keys in one hand; and reach for my leash with the other, I know that the time has finally come. 

I've been ready for this for a while. We both knew it was only a matter of time. Every day it gets harder to breathe, my lungs wet and heavy, weighed down by tumours. I am drowning on dry land, my body rebelling against itself – a civil war where the only casualty will be me.

You open the front door one last time for me, and I wobble unsteadily down the steps towards the car. Good-bye roses, that prick my nose when I sniff you. Good-bye grass and dirt, where I used to dig. Good-bye yard; and house, car and chew bone. Good-bye cat and rope toy and comfy little bed.

I stick my head out the window, feel the sun caress my ears, my tongue tasting the wind, heavy with pollen and asphalt.

I struggle not to trip as I climb the clinic's steps, knowing this is the last time you will see me walk. I don't want you to remember me like this, my body an empty shell of what it used to be. I want you to remember me healthy, my coat and teeth gleaming, my legs flying as I race after a bright red Frisbee. I want you to remember me happy, sleeping beside you on the couch on lazy Sunday afternoons. I want you to remember all the good times we had.

You kneel down before me, petting my head. I stare at your beautiful face, the one I have licked for years. The one that tells me I am a “good boy”, the one that kisses me at bedtime. My tail thumps weakly and I try to smile, remembering how that used to make you laugh. You stare long and hard, etching my face into your memory. You don't have to worry – I know you won't forget. I know I could never forget you, no matter what happens next.

I suck in a breath at the prick of the needle, then sigh at the smooth cool feel of the drugs. My eyes drift closed as the drugs calmly and quietly flow through my veins, pumped around my frail body by my failing heart. If there is life after this, I will wait for you. I will once again sit at the door, waiting for you to walk through it, my leash in my smiling mouth.

You whisper good-bye, and I give you one last kiss. The veterinarian, whom I used to hate so much, now looks like an angel in her starched white coat. I smile at her. I hope you both know how much this means to me. There is no other way that I would rather go. Now surrounded by love I will leave this earth - believe it or not, it is a good day to die.