How I got here

When I was 13, I lived with my aunt, uncle, and 3 cousins for a short period of time. That was one of the first times in my life that I felt derailed, lost, detached. It was September and high school had started again. I layed in bed staring at the stucco that would appear everytime the helicopter overhead flashed its lights passed our barred window. Just 20 minutes earlier, I was laying in a similar position, dosing, half-asleep. 3 loud booms blared in my ears after the sound bounced off the metal and screen of our window.
I opened my eyes and called for my cousin in the dark room: "did you hear that?"
Ale: "yea, that was close"
Me: "I think it's at the neighbors house"
Ale: "probably a drug deal gone bad"
Me: "yea, I hope it's over"

A car drove by, rolled down its windows or maybe opened the doors. It could have been either. They opened fire in the direction of our neighbors house. My cousin was probably right. Drug deals happened in that house, a lot of people came and went, when we were younger we played in that yard. This happened frequently. Sometimes the shots were fired at our neighbors, sometimes at a house down the street, sometimes at someone walking down our street.

We woke up to a bullet lodged in the frame of our bedroom window. At that moment, nothing in my life- nothing I had ever seen or experienced would have even allowed me to imagine what my life is like now.
I graduate from medical school in 10 days. In the midst of packing, spending last moments with people who have become cherished friends, I took a moment to think about where my life is right now and I can't ever help but wonder: how did I get here?