On the never ending cycle

I really like my job.  I like (most) of my coworkers, it is very laid back, I like (most) of my patients, I have great hours, I'm finally getting the hang of everything so I am not nearly as overwhelmed as I was when I started.  Even though I really like my job, I recently had a bit of a freak out.  While getting my 401K set up, after some quick calculations (I'm 25 now... 65 when I retire..), I realized I was going to be working at least until 2052.  Twenty-fifty-two. That's so far in the future it doesn't even sound like a date. That's when I realized I have entered a never ending cycle.

The monotony of work was suddenly crushing me. In school you have set semesters, with set breaks between them.  Tired of a waking up early? Well, we are going to have 4 weeks off for winter break. And it's not just that I miss the breaks between semesters.  I was prepared for that. I realized that was going to end.  It's the fact that in January I will not be starting something new. Now I am going to be doing the same thing for 40 years.

I guess it's not always the same, though. While I may give out the same exercises, I learn something new pretty much every day.  Like when my patient told me she knew her roommate was a Yankee because she used too much toilet paper.  Before this, I had no idea Yankees used too much toilet paper; now I can spot a Yankee a roll of toilet paper away. She then taught me how to fold the toilet paper (rather than ball it up) so that I wouldn't be confused for a Yankee. Now that kind of education does not happen every day.