By: Michael W. Miller, DVM
Why am I creating this silly blog? When I’m already stressed about never finding enough time to do what I want to do, why am I starting this? Aren’t there so many better things I could be doing? Let’s start at the beginning of my story. Or better yet, let’s skip ahead to the compelling part – where the book would start. I didn’t grow up in a cupboard under the stairs. I’m not an orphan. I’m not a wizard (or at least have yet to receive my letter.) However, like Harry Potter, my journey into my true life was not apparent to me from the start. I didn’t decide that I wanted to be a veterinarian until I was in college. I liked animals and thought I wanted to be a marine biologist…until I went deep sea fishing that first semester of my freshman year and got violently sea sick. The only other club at my school that really did anything significant with animals was the pre-vet club, so I joined. That initial peek into veterinary medicine allowed me to see all the little things in my life that had set me up for this career. Just like Harry who had unknowingly performed magic before he knew what he was, my life up to that point was full of little moments that now suddenly made much more sense. That childhood photo where I was auscultating my stuffed Louie McDuck – aha! After college, I luckily was accepted into veterinary school. Although those were four challenging years, I still held optimism and excitement for my future career. But, I didn’t really know what I was facing. Then, suddenly, the reality of being a doctor of veterinary medicine hit me like the Whomping Willow. I loved my co-workers at my first job, especially the other doctors that were so helpful. But man, that transition from student to doctor was rough. As I passed by an elementary school every morning on my way to work and watched the gym classes play games outside, I started wondering why I didn’t become a P.E. teacher like my dad. Wouldn’t my life have been so much happier?! After a change of jobs (and some serendipitous luck!) – I found myself submitting my writings to a veterinary website. I truly enjoyed that, but again didn’t exactly realize what I had stumbled upon. Then I wrote a piece about the magical creatures of Harry Potter. I had read a similar-in-tone piece about vet med lessons from another movie franchise, and I figured this was my chance to unite my nerdy knowledge of Harry Potter with my career in vet med. The result was nothing less than magical. I was invited to an exclusive veterinary conference full of veterinary celebrities. At first I didn’t want to go, but I am so glad that I took that leap of faith. While I was there, amongst some of the best people in veterinary medicine, someone recognized me as “that guy who wrote the Harry Potter piece” and asked for a selfie with me. Um… what?!? In a place packed with people who I considered too important for me to bother, someone thought I was important. That was my first awareness that I may have stumbled onto something special. That person – you know who you are – was my Hagrid. She knocked down the door to the creaking shack I was hiding in and told me that I was full of magic. Like Harry, my life would never be the same after that moment. But that’s not the end of my story. It’s just the first chapter. Now that I know there is magic in veterinary medicine, it’s my job to continue to discover it. But most importantly, it’s my job to share that discovery with others who need to find the magic in their careers. That’s my goal with this creation. That’s why I’m doing this.
4 Comments
6/2/2018 04:41:46 pm
So excited that you're making this happen. Good luck and can't wait to read more. Your writing is positive and uplifting. Also, I think it's totally unfair that Oklahoma now has "houses" for its vet students. I request a do-over of vet school.
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Brandon
6/3/2018 03:39:46 pm
Awesome blog idea! Looking forward to seeing your posts
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Lindsay Eustice
10/7/2019 04:42:02 pm
I absolutely LOVE your blog! I stumbled onto it when I was researching my practice's theme for our information booth this year (Hairy Pawter) and found your site.
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Harry Potter Vet
10/18/2019 11:56:02 pm
I hope your "Hairy Pawter" booth is a hit and manages lots of mischief! If you want to use anything I've written at your booth, please do. Maybe you can even email me a photo of your booth or send me a message through my Facebook or Instagram accounts, and then I'll share that photo with everyone.
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