Recently, I found myself waiting for someone at Mount Sinai Hospital. To my joy, there was a Chapters bookstore on the main floor (a bookstore in a hospital! How awesome is that?) So there I was, in all my frazzled med student glory, with my coat and backpack on, wearing sweatpants and Uggs, as I picked up the closest book to me and started reading it.

I happened to pick up The Book of Awesome. It was truly the most awesome book. It’s essentially a laundry list of all these priceless life pleasures that make you smile and feel great. Examples? Walking into a bakery and deeply inhaling warm bakery air, finding unexpected money in your pocket, and actually fixing electronics by smacking them. Even though I was standing there with my coat and a 20 lb backpack on, with 3 hours of sleep the night before, I just couldn’t stop myself from chuckling out loud. After all, you have to get a dose of happiness once in a while.

Inspired, I decided to put together a list of 5 little life pleasures that make me, as a medical student, smile. So here it is! Enjoy!

1. A Skipped Lecture on the Exam

This one is where you get to finally beat the system- instead of the system beating you. This is the story of that one 1-hr lecture you skipped, with the intention of relistening to it and studying it later.
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