The (Real) Real World

Public health hazards were abundant during my time on a reality TV show: Legionella lurking in the hot tub. E. coli lingering in the "street meat" we bought after fun nights out binge drinking on Sixth Street. Binge drinking in general! However, when looking back on my time on MTV's The Real World: Austin in 2005, I don't see that; I see fun, carefree people whose biggest problems were deciding which bar to go to and which top to wear.

Today, my life looks a lot different. Working in public health as a health systems researcher, I face complicated problems that become progressively more difficult each year with more lives on the line. One day, I might be coordinating a seminar on veterans' health outcomes; the next, I'm researching best practices for improved surgical safety. I'm determined to make an impact, but it's hard to leave that determination behind outside of work hours, where I'm otherwise occupied by my second job: parenthood. As the mom of three kids, ages 12, 10, and 8, I'm also a cheerleader, therapist, referee, and teacher. My dominant role, however, is project management, coordinating endless playdates and hockey games.

With October came a reprieve: a weekend spent with my castmates from The Real World. We met at the house of my castmate Wes in Kansas and piled on his couch, watching old episodes of our show on Netflix. Throughout the episodes we laughed, cried, and reminisced about moments we had forgotten. It felt amazing to let everything else drop away, shedding the roles of mom and doctor and instead simply being myself with people who knew me before the whirlwind of adulthood swept over all of us. I was able to reconnect with the young girl who loved life, was curious about people, and wanted to have fun, feeling lucky to be alive after serving as a nurse in the Iraq war.

The trip recharged me, and I realized how freeing it is to just "be" with people who know you—even if your weekend escapades end up chronicled in People magazine. In my field, it's easy to let work overtake your life because, with so much room for improvement in health care and so much suffering that needs to be reduced, there's never a shortage of work to be done. The weekend away helped me realize that as life grows more complicated, it becomes even more important to step away from work, close my laptop, and make time for friends who remind me of who I am outside the lab and afterschool pickups. Some days, it's OK to let determining which bar to visit be the biggest problem you solve.