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

one hundred and six - "shut up, i'm your person" - one hundred and six

"Surgeons like to believe they're the center of the universe, that their million-dollar hands are the only thing that matters. You only need a scalpel and a patient to use it on. No one else. I used to believe it, too. But that was before I had kids. Truth is, from the time your patient first gets sick to the time they're lying on your table, a team of internists, specialists, and nurses have all already interacted with that patient more than you ever will. I've had to operate alone before in circumstances I would've never thought possible. By now, I know what I'm capable of, how much I can handle on my own. And you know what? I can handle a lot. But that doesn't mean I'm going to turn down an assist from another pair of skilled hands. Because at the end of the day, just because I can do a surgery alone, doesn't mean I have to. Knowing someone else has your back? It's everything."
-Meredith Grey, S18E4, "With a Little Help From My Friends"

"In a recent experiment, scientists observed that single human cells in a petri dish will actually seek each other out and adhere to each other to form new connections. When cells team up, they become stronger. They thrive and evolve and eventually become something bigger than their single cells ever could have been. We are an extension of our cells. Just like them, we are programmed to find others, to reach out for one another and find nourishment and love. Like our cells, we're not meant to be alone. So once we find each other, try not to let go."
-Meredith Grey, S18E5, "Bottle Up and Explode!"

"Scientists have published studies about how the practice of gratitude improves mental and physical health. A daily gratitude practice reduces depression and increases happiness. Gratitude enhances empathy, which helps build positive relationships. It even lowers blood pressure. If giving thanks is so good for you, why do so many people struggle doing it? Why do we only designate one day a year to give thanks? After everything we've been through, why not celebrate the good every day? Hug your loved ones. Smile at a stranger. Choose kindness. What's the worst that could happen? Someone might do it in return."
-Meredith Grey, S18E6, "Everyday Is A Holiday (With You)"

"In the late 16th century, a father-son team made a groundbreaking discovery. They found that when they put lenses at the opposite ends of a tube, it enlarged objects. Their invention was the first compound microscope. And as basic as it was, their invention was a gamechanger for science and medicine. The simple use of curved glass to bend and refract light revolutionized how we see the world. In many ways, it's not all that different from everyday life. Sometimes seeing life through a different lens opens a new world of possibilities."
-Meredith Grey, S18E7, "Today Was A Fairytale"

"The way kids feel at Christmas is a pretty close equivalent to the way surgeons feel walking into an OR. It's a complicated mix of anxiety and excitement that makes it almost impossible to sleep. The anticipation is the best and worst part. "Will this go my way? Will I get what I want? Will my patient live? Will they heal? Is Santa real?" Stepping into an OR is its own kind of magic. The possibility that on this day, you might save a life. Or end it. I often ask my kids, do they prefer Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? I go back and forth on that question. As a person, I prefer Christmas Eve, when life is all possibility. Falling asleep with unopened presents under a tree, filled with excitement for tomorrow. But as a surgeon, I prefer Christmas Day. The point where possibility meets reality. You tried your best, you called to close, you finished the surgery with the proper suture. And soon, you'll see if it all worked. But whichever you prefer, I can promise you this. Eventually, the holiday is over."
-Meredith Grey, S18E8, "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear"

"The vagus nerve is longest and most complex of the cranial nerves. It transmits information to or from the surface of the brain to tissues and organs elsewhere in the body. When a body sustains an extended period of stress or trauma, the vagus nerve becomes hyperactive. We think of stress and trauma primarily as primarily emotional. The real impact is on the body. When the vagus nerve is triggered, it fights to slow the heart, blood pressure drops, and you can experience nausea, tunnel vision, ringing in the ears, low blood pressure, an irregular heartbeat. And when the mind suffers, the body suffers. And it can be difficult to undo the damage. Recent studies suggest that when we experience physical sensations related to intense emotions, it comes back to the vagus nerve. We think of the pain of a broken heart as being outside of our control. But science suggests that if we laugh instead of cry, if we sing instead of ache, we might just heal faster. Of course, when we're hurting, sometimes it's just easier to keep hurting than to try to heal."
-Meredith Grey, S18E9, "No Time To Die"