During my freshman year in high school, my science teacher assigned us to interview people in the community about how they use science in their careers. Although I don’t remember most of the people I spoke with, I can tell you that I spent meaningful time with a local community pharmacist who changed my life.
What I saw was a man who loved his career and truly cared for his patients. In an instant, I knew that I wanted to become a pharmacist, and I never wavered from that goal throughout high school.
Knowing what you want to be when you grow up at age 14 is unusual, but it is very liberating. I simply had to work backwards to figure out how to achieve my goal of becoming a pharmacist.
After high school, I chose to attend Ohio Northern University (ONU) because it had a unique pharmacy program. Rather than attending college for 2 years and then applying to the pharmacy program, ONU students were admitted to the College of Pharmacy from day one.
Although it was expensive, being in pharmacy school from day one and avoiding the risk of rejection made it worthwhile for me.
In college, I spent a lot of time in the library. Although the classwork was difficult, I did well with one exception: organic chemistry.
I did fail organic chemistry—a notorious “weed out” course—but I successfully retook the class over the summer and graduated on time with the rest of my classmates. Failing a course is a difficult stumbling block, but I stood strong and persevered.
Today, I’m thankful for the wonderful pharmacy profession for so many reasons.
First, I’m thankful that community pharmacists are the health care professionals most accessible to the public. If my local pharmacist wasn’t accessible to me, then I likely would have taken a different career path.
Second, I’m proud of the work we pharmacists do, the diversity of our career options, and the relationships we share with our patients and fellow health care providers.
Pharmacy is a profession that makes a real difference in people’s lives. It certainly has made all the difference in mine.
(I get invited to go camping with a good female friend of mine, her boyfriend, and a few other friends. I agree, thinking it’ll be fun, but things eventually change. My female friend breaks up with her boyfriend, who she planned the trip with, and starts dating another guy in our friend group. Soon, others drop out of the camping trip so it’s just my female friend, her current boyfriend, her ex-boyfriend, and me. I can see that this could potentially be awkward, but the campsite is already reserved and my female friend begs me to go. Once she assures me that everything between her and her ex-boyfriend is fine, I decide to still go. Early on in the trip, it becomes evident that everything is not okay with her ex-boyfriend. To make matters worse, the female friend and her current boyfriend decide that the best way to soften the blow for him is to try and set him up with me, since I am single. Finally, after two nights of this awkwardness, I decide to talk to the ex-boyfriend. Since we are friends, I want to let him know that I didn’t want this setting up. I also want to see if he is all right.)
Me: “Hey, [Ex-Boyfriend], I feel really bad that [Female Friend] keeps on trying to push you onto me. Just to let you know, I did not ask her to do that. This is completely random and I just want to make sure you are okay.”
Ex-Boyfriend: “Oh, it’s hard. It’s just so soon after we broke up. How can she move on so soon?”
Me: “I’m sorry, bud. It is messed up that’s for sure. Look: I’ve told them to stop. I think they know they crossed a line and won’t do it anymore.”
Ex-Boyfriend: “Thanks, [My Name]. I mean, you’re great and all, but I couldn’t spend every day with you.”
Me: “What?”
Ex-Boyfriend: “Well, to be in a relationship, you have to spend every day with someone. There’s no way I could do that with you.”
(He then went on to explain that I was probably single because others felt this way. He said this as if it was completely normal, while I started to cry and count the days until the trip was over. Fast forward the years, and I am no longer friends with any of these people. The “friend” who said those words to me never understood why I never spoke to him again. I get that he wasn’t having the best time on the trip, but he didn’t need to kick me while he was down.)
(I get invited to go camping with a good female friend of mine, her boyfriend, and a few other friends. I agree, thinking it’ll be fun, but things eventually change. My female friend breaks up with her boyfriend, who she planned the trip with, and starts dating another guy in our friend group. Soon, others drop out of the camping trip so it’s just my female friend, her current boyfriend, her ex-boyfriend, and me. I can see that this could potentially be awkward, but the campsite is already reserved and my female friend begs me to go. Once she assures me that everything between her and her ex-boyfriend is fine, I decide to still go. Early on in the trip, it becomes evident that everything is not okay with her ex-boyfriend. To make matters worse, the female friend and her current boyfriend decide that the best way to soften the blow for him is to try and set him up with me, since I am single. Finally, after two nights of this awkwardness, I decide to talk to the ex-boyfriend. Since we are friends, I want to let him know that I didn’t want this setting up. I also want to see if he is all right.)
Me: “Hey, [Ex-Boyfriend], I feel really bad that [Female Friend] keeps on trying to push you onto me. Just to let you know, I did not ask her to do that. This is completely random and I just want to make sure you are okay.”
Ex-Boyfriend: “Oh, it’s hard. It’s just so soon after we broke up. How can she move on so soon?”
Me: “I’m sorry, bud. It is messed up that’s for sure. Look: I’ve told them to stop. I think they know they crossed a line and won’t do it anymore.”
Ex-Boyfriend: “Thanks, [My Name]. I mean, you’re great and all, but I couldn’t spend every day with you.”
Me: “What?”
Ex-Boyfriend: “Well, to be in a relationship, you have to spend every day with someone. There’s no way I could do that with you.”
(He then went on to explain that I was probably single because others felt this way. He said this as if it was completely normal, while I started to cry and count the days until the trip was over. Fast forward the years, and I am no longer friends with any of these people. The “friend” who said those words to me never understood why I never spoke to him again. I get that he wasn’t having the best time on the trip, but he didn’t need to kick me while he was down.)
Florida, home, Movies & TV, Silly, Spouses & Partners, USA | Romantic | November 30, 2017
(My partner is watching TV and starts laughing. They keep laughing for a good few minutes.)
Me: “Something funny?”
(They keep laughing, and then they fall off the couch. I wait for another minute. I’m vaguely worried they’re hysterical at this point.)
Me: “You okay?”
Partner: *finally catching their breath, quoting a commercial* “’Our legal team believes that, with the safety equipment available to car manufacturers, no one should ever get injured or killed in a car accident.’” *laughs* “’So, call us and we’ll sue ’em!’” *laughs*
Me: “Okay, then… I guess they’ve never heard of cliffs!”
It Wouldn’t Cost You Your Soul To Be More Romantic
Boyfriend/Girlfriend, England, Extra Stupid, Love/Romance, Outdoors, Sheffield, UK | Romantic | November 28, 2017
(My girlfriend and I are on a romantic walk, and we stop to sit near a pleasant stream and make deep and meaningful conversation. She is saying how she feels about me and she wants to know how I feel in return.)
Girlfriend: “I believe in soulmates. I don’t think there is anyone else who could make me feel like you do. We get on so well together, and I really can’t imagine being with anyone else. I’m so glad we met. Do you think we are soulmates? What would have happened if we’d never met?”
(I am the most unromantic, but honest, idiot.)
Me: “Well, I think I probably would have got with someone else if I hadn’t met you. There’s so many girls in the world; I’m sure I would have found someone else to get on really well with. I don’t think there is such a thing as a soulmate. I just believe we meet people, and if we fancy them, we get on, and eventually we adapt our personalities to get on with each other and on it goes.”
(Eighteen years of marriage later, I suspect she may have been more right about this than I was!)
Engaged, home, Silly, UK | Romantic | November 27, 2017
(I’m trying to prepare a simple meal that involves putting frozen food on baking trays, which I line with aluminium foil. My fiancé comes into the kitchen to “help.” He comes up behind me and threads his arms through mine which results in my elbows being forced against my side, making it very hard to use my arms for anything. I am now straining to put a piece of foil over the baking tray as my arms are held back.)
Fiancé: *while laughing at my attempts* “To understand the T-Rex, you must become the T-Rex.”
Me: *laughing while eventually succeeding in my task despite the handicap*
(I’m teaching my girlfriend to play an old video game where you destroy blocks that slowly move towards you by putting “mines” on the ground and detonating them later. The game is fairly simple in that you can only move around a very limited space, place the mine with a button, and detonate it with the same button. The rules are also easy: you must destroy all blocks but the black ones. I explain all of this to her, but since she’s a really bad listener, I also make her watch the tutorial first.)
Me: “Do you have any questions on how it works?”
Girlfriend: “Nope, all clear.”
Me: “Cool, go for it.”
(I start the game and hand her the controller, but then she instantly makes the character run towards a block, starts mashing all the buttons, and dies, crushed.)
Me: “That’s okay; it was your first try. Just calm down a—”
(The game starts again and she does exactly the same.)
Me: “Honey, you don’t need to keep pressing every button. You’ve got time for everything; there’s no hurry.”
(The game starts once more and exactly the same scenario happens. For ten straight minutes she keeps running to her death while I try to explain to her how to play, but she doesn’t even acknowledge my voice or my presence. I try to touch her arm and gently shove her, but no reaction; it’s like she’s in some sort of trance. Finally, I forcefully yank the controller out of her hands and pause the game.)
Me: “What’s going on? What are you doing?”
Girlfriend: *looking at me like she just came back from another reality* “Huh? What?”
Me: “What were you doing?”
Girlfriend: “It didn’t work.”
Me: “There’s no way it’ll work if you just mash the buttons like that.”
Girlfriend: “No, but I did it because it wasn’t working.”
Me: “What wasn’t working?”
Girlfriend: “The mines were not moving.”
Me: “Why would they?”
Girlfriend: “It makes sense.”
Me: “When I explained the game to you, did I mention that you can move mines?”
Girlfriend: “No.”
Me: “When you watched the tutorial, at any point did it show you that you can move mines?”
Girlfriend: “No.”
Me: “And you died like 30 times trying to do it, even though it clearly wasn’t working.”
Girlfriend: “Yes.”
Me: “Then?”
Girlfriend: “It makes sense.”
Me: “So, you just made up a game mechanic in your mind against all options, noticed that it didn’t work at all, yet kept trying to make it work again, and again, and again.”
(Halloween isn’t an official holiday in Australia, although some children will trick or treat. We always buy chocolate just in case. The day after Halloween
Husband: *stuffing his face with chocolate* “It’s such a shame that all those kids came and took all our chocolate.”
Me: *stuffing my face with chocolate* “Yeah… Terrible.”
(Halloween isn’t an official holiday in Australia, although some children will trick or treat. We always buy chocolate just in case. The day after Halloween
Husband: *stuffing his face with chocolate* “It’s such a shame that all those kids came and took all our chocolate.”
Me: *stuffing my face with chocolate* “Yeah… Terrible.”
Bad Behavior, Bizarre, Boyfriend/Girlfriend, England, Games, home, UK | Romantic | November 23, 2017
(It’s my birthday. I am surprised to open a present from my girlfriend: a brand new Xbox. I am even more surprised to see the box open, and every game open, too. I turn on the console and find game files for each game. I question my girlfriend.)
Girlfriend: “Yeah, I gave it to my brother.”
Me: “You gave my present to your brother? Why?”
Girlfriend: “Well, he wanted to try it.”
Me: “Try it? He has completed some of the games, and the console is filthy!”
Girlfriend: “What? I don’t see what the big deal is here.”
(The family was a constant issue the whole time we were together; it eventually caused us to break up, then ruin her eventual marriage. She blindly defends them even today.)
(After going out to dinner for Valentine’s Day, my boyfriend and I are cuddling and kind of half watching TV. It’s been a super romantic day: he brought me a dozen red roses, gave me a incredibly sweet card, and took me out to dinner. He looks deep into my eyes.)
Boyfriend: “Sweetheart, I’ve been thinking…”
Me: *attempting to ignore all thoughts about rings and proposals* “What?”
Boyfriend: “I should bring one of my video game consoles over here sometime so I can play video games while I’m hanging out with you!”
(After going out to dinner for Valentine’s Day, my boyfriend and I are cuddling and kind of half watching TV. It’s been a super romantic day: he brought me a dozen red roses, gave me a incredibly sweet card, and took me out to dinner. He looks deep into my eyes.)
Boyfriend: “Sweetheart, I’ve been thinking…”
Me: *attempting to ignore all thoughts about rings and proposals* “What?”
Boyfriend: “I should bring one of my video game consoles over here sometime so I can play video games while I’m hanging out with you!”
Text/Chat/Email | England, UK | Romantic | January 25, 2014
(I am texting my long distance boyfriend about his Christmas present. I had it sent by courier as it’s expensive.)
Me: “So, has it arrived yet?”
Boyfriend: “No. I’m so excited. Look at my excited face! DDDDDDD”
Me: “That’s a lot of D’s…”
Boyfriend: “There’s no time for D’s baby! It’s here!”
Me: “Good I hope you love it!”
Boyfriend: “OHMYGOD! OHMYGOD! AN XBOX ONE?! There’s something I need to talk to you about… I think we should see other people :/”
(I ignored his text as I knew he’s only playing, and went to shower. When I got back I had multiple missed calls and texts from him, all saying he was joking and begging me to forgive him! One even said he’d give up his new Xbox if I’d reply to him!)
Aunts & Uncles, Department Store, Ohio, Silly, Spouses & Partners, USA | Romantic | November 22, 2017
Years ago, my husband’s uncle was shopping for lingerie for his wife. Unfortunately, he really did not know anything about bra sizes, let alone what size his wife wore.
When the saleswoman asked about size, [Uncle] doffed his hat, looked around, and said, “Seven and a half.”
Awesome, Food & Drink, home, Midwest, USA | Romantic | November 21, 2017
(I’ve run out of ideas for dinner, so I dump some leftover spaghetti sauce onto a casserole dish full of cooked macaroni, cover it all with cheese, and stick it in the oven. After thirty minutes it is a bubbling, molten mass of cheese. It almost looks alive.)
At The Checkout, Boyfriend/Girlfriend, Geeks Rule, Jerk, Ohio, Retail, USA | Romantic | November 20, 2017
(I am a huge Star Wars fan, and after years and years I am finally buying the complete series, Episodes I – VI, on Blu-ray. I am 25 and have been single longer than I care to admit. This happens as I am checking out. The cashier is female; I am male.)
Cashier: *looks at my purchase “You must be single, right?”
Flirting, Harassment, Missouri, Siblings, St Louis, Strangers, Thrift Store, USA | Romantic | November 19, 2017
(My older sister and I have finished shopping at a thrift store and are waiting in line to check out. There are lots of families in the store, and soon there is an announcement over the store’s PA system.)
Store PA: “For safety reasons, children cannot be left unattended in the store. Please make sure your children are with you at all times.”
(While we wait, I’ve decided to look at the jewelry displays on the other side of the register counters. I am gone for maybe a minute, but out of the corner of my eye I notice my sister is already talking to someone, which isn’t that unusual, given how outgoing she is. She’s in her mid-20s and is talking with a man who looks to be in his 40s. When I return, I do not expect to hear the following.)
Random Man: “It’s important to keep up with the trends to look presentable. I have thousand-dollar suits, but this was too good a deal to pass up. I mean, eight dollars?” *holds up old-looking, yellow-ish and tan blazer* “One time, it was raining and I didn’t want to ruin my fancy shoes, so I wore grungy shoes—”
Sister: “And you brought the other pair to change into?”
Random Man: “No. But wearing those shoes turned out to be a mistake.”
(I’ve been silent, trying to figure out why she’s talking to him about work clothes. She suddenly turns to me.)
Sister: *in a louder, more excited voice* “I’m thinking about going back and buying that Super Truck video game.”
Me: *groaning* “Please, no. That game looked so stupid.”
Sister: *continues pointedly talking to only me* “Nah, it looked fun!”
(I get the feeling she’s trying to avoid talking to the man again, and we continue to chatter about video games until we reach the register. We pay quickly and dash out the door before he can follow us.)
Me: *Incredulous* “Was that man in a thrift store trying to hit on you by saying he has thousand-dollar suits?!”
Sister: “Yeah! I don’t know how I get all these random guys hitting on me! He was definitely way older than me and not that attractive. He just started talking about how he was going to get [the blazer] tailored.”
Me: *joking* “I should have known better. They clearly said not to leave your children unattended in the store, for safety reasons.”
Sister: *also joking* “Yeah, this is all your fault.”
Coworkers, Dating, Flirting, Restaurant, USA | Romantic | November 18, 2017
(A female coworker starts a conversation with me, a male, about relationships. It’s very friendly and casual. We’re about the same age. I’m single, never married. She’s been going through a divorce and has a four-year-old. But none of that is on my mind as we talk.)
Coworker #1 : “Does the thought of dating a woman that already has kids weird you out?”
Me: “Yeah. I couldn’t do that. I don’t know. That’s a lot of complications and baggage and stuff right out the gate, and I’m young enough that it’s not really necessary to handle that if I don’t need to, you know?”
Coworker #1 : “Oh, for sure. I can understand that.”
(She heads off to check on her tables, and another coworker comes up to me and practically smacks me upside the head.)
Coworker #2 : “She was asking that because she means her!“
Me: “Oh. Well, the answer doesn’t change!”
(For the record, she’s a very beautiful and friendly woman, but my position will hold. There would have to be something very magical between me and a single mother for me to be willing to put myself into the lives of her kids who will, at some level, see me as a guy keeping their mom and dad from getting back together. No, thanks.)
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