𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘮𝘢, 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥𝘺 - 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙮'𝙨 𝘼𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙮 (ON HOLD)

one hundred and four - "i know all about zola's kitchen" - one hundred and four

"At the start of medical school, you and your classmates stand together, wearing your lab coats for the first time. And you take an oath. The oath has many versions, but each boils down to this: the practice of medicine should be humane and kind. It turns out there's a catch they don't tell you about. Medicine mimics the world it lives in. And in this world, humanity and kindness are often in short supply. I remember that day that I first put on my white coat even though it was long ago. I took the oath alongside my classmates and I meant it with every cell in my body. But this world has challenged that oath so many times that I barely remember what it said anymore. So now, every day, I take a new oath. I pledge to help build a world worth living in and never stop believing that world can exist. Not today, so far from today, but someday."
-Richard Webber, S17E12, "Sign O' The Times"

"There's a moment I've noticed in the OR, especially when a patient is going south. You're working so hard you lose yourself. All of your problems, your relationships, career goals, your fears, they all just fade away. It's not even you and your patient. It's you and yourself, your hands, your skill. You might call it muscle memory or being in the zone. But whatever you call it, it's rare. And you never want it to end. Those moments when everything fades away, you're at your best. But there's a problem with disappearing into the work. You can't save every patient. And if surgery is all you have, no matter how great you are, eventually you're going to disintegrate. As nice as it to lose all your worries, you also lose the good. And if you hope to have any kind of life worth living, you're definitely going to need the good."
-Meredith Grey, S17E13, "Good as Hell"

"It's a natural progression in any profession for the student to become the teacher, the mentee to become the mentor. It's not that much different from parenting. We learn from our ancestors how to make the perfect soup, how to soothe an aching head or hurt. We measure milestones in percentiles and first steps to try and gain insight into the person they'll grow into. As if knowing a bunch of numbers on charts is any true measure of what we might make of ourselves. No one said it was easy, becoming the person you're meant to be. It takes bravery to step into the power you found and earned and deserve. The trick is, to take the people who were there for you, with you, to remind you you're not alone. You have an entire legacy behind you as you create your own."
-Jackson Avery, S17E14, "Look Up Child"

"In some residency programs, graduating surgeons get a wooden chair emblazoned with the emblem of their program. When those residents become attendings, the chair usually goes in their office, where it collects dust for the rest of their careers. You give your program years of your life. Your sweat, your tears, and in my case at least, your blood, and your program gives you a chair. I suppose it's a nice tradition, if you're into that sort of thing. And if you want a constant reminder of the hell you went through to get here. Traditions have never really been my thing. But at their best, they help us remember who we are, where we're from, and those who came before us. They give us something to pass on to future generations. 'Cause if you don't know where you're from, it's kind of hard to know where you're going. Unless, of course, where you're going is home."
-Meredith Grey, S17E15, "Tradition"

"When we give test results to patients, we often say "normal." We look and analyze numbers within ranges, highs and lows. If the patient falls within the range, we're not worried. But it's imperfect, because if history has shown us anything, one person's normal is another's complete chaos. No one likes being an outlier. Patients constantly ask, "Have you seen this before? How common is it? Is this normal?" For so long, we've been conditioned to think if we aren't normal, it's a bad thing. Maybe it's time to rethink what the rules of normal are. Maybe it's time to rethink everything."
-Meredith Grey, S17E16, "I'm Still Standing"