Sacrifices

Our third Neuroanatomy exam is this upcoming Tuesday afternoon. It is by far the most difficult class we've taken (and will take from what we hear), and as such, completely consumes our time in the days preceding each test. 40% of the class failed the lecture portion of the last exam, which has put us all a little on edge. I studied the note packets and powerpoints for 6 hours yesterday and I've already logged 3 today (with about 7 to go). It's difficult for those not going through this process to understand the toll it takes on us. Today, I'm a bit down contemplating all of the things Aaron and I miss out on because of the time commitment medical school demands.
My mom and dad come to Tulsa fairly often to take us out to dinner and spend some quality time with us. I so look forward to these evenings, and was sorely disappointed when I had to let my mom know for the first time this year that we would be too busy (and stressed) this weekend to see them. She understood as always and we rescheduled for next weekend, but I need my mommy now. Does anyone else ever feel like that? I don't think I'll ever lose that feeling, no matter what age I am.
Adding to the gloom are Facebook status feeds from our friends. Attending concerts. Road trips and vacations. Shopping excursions. Time spent with family and friends. Even time spent watching copious amounts of television and the occasional movie date make us jealous. When finding the time to go grocery shopping because your fridge is empty is difficult, these activities that others seem to take for granted seem like luxuries.
I know our future accomplishments will be worth the sacrifices we're making today. We are paying now to play later, so to speak. However, sometimes it's difficult to see beyond the present. It would be wonderful to have a crystal ball in which I could stare into my (amazing?) future. Since that's not realistic, it's back to the limbic system for now.