Heartwarming Encounter Over a Thrift Store Find

A woman from Minneapolis, Minnesota, made an unexpected discovery in a thrift store find that led to a memorable encounter. While browsing her local thrift store, Michelle noticed handwritten notes inside a book she purchased. These notes turned out to be an intriguing snapshot of someone’s journey through medical school applications.

The top of the note featured a handwritten affirmation saying, “I am smart. I am calm. I’ve worked hard to prepare. I’ve got this.” Below it, a list outlined MCAT scores that improved over time, showcasing practice scores of 515, 519, and 523, and real exam scores of 525 and 528. Additionally, there was a tracker of medical school applications, interviews, and outcomes, listing acceptances at prestigious schools like Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins, and others.

The writer had included a humorous self-reflection about whether they enjoyed people enough to become a doctor, along with a backup plan involving veterinary medicine. For Michelle, finding this note felt like unveiling a time capsule.

“You could see years of hard work through the practice MCAT scores, the encouraging notes she’d written to herself, and eventually a perfect score and a list of medical school acceptances,” she said.

Michelle decided to share a photo of the note on Reddit under the username lemonspriggs. The post quickly spread, garnering over 7,500 upvotes. Amazingly, the original writer recognized the note. Her husband saw the post and alerted her, prompting her to connect with Michelle.

In a message, the woman revealed, “I used to tuck little affirmations into my textbooks because I was so anxious about the MCAT. Seeing ‘I’ve worked hard to prepare. I’ve got this.’ again brought me right back to that season of my life.” Now 34, she pursued a path different from traditional clinical practice. She works as an infectious disease specialist, studying zoonotic diseases and managing her own research lab.

She thanked Michelle for rekindling memories of herself as a young, nervous student who persevered. She also offered advice to anyone striving towards a distant dream: “Keep going. One day you’ll look back and realize those late nights, tiny victories, and little notes to yourself were all worth it.”

Michelle’s experience illustrates the positive impact of social media, highlighting how a simple post can forge unexpected connections.