Light at the end of the tunnel???

[pic taken going up to Monserrate in Bogota, Colombia]

Do you ever wonder what the "light at the end of the tunnel" saying really means? I do all the time.
Does it mean that you're just in a terrible dark place and are just waiting around until you magically, effortlessly come out of the "tunnel" into the awesome light??
Or does it mean that "light" at the end is something that you only reach after enduring the terrible dark tunnel??
Is this dark tunnel even necessary??
What if you finally get to the mouth of the tunnel, right before the light...and it starts thunder storming or u realize the light isn't even that great or you get thrown right back into another tunnel??
What if you can't even see the light??
What if somebody shuts the light off or closes the door at the end of the tunnel??

I guess this tunnel and light phrase mean different things for different people. (i love to overanalyze simple things and make everthing complicated!)

I've been thinking about this lately because people here have been using that phrase more often now in reference to the fact that there are only about 5 weeks left of class. But I really got to thinking about it tonight though because of 2 things: a tragedy that happened to a good friend and a speech that was given at a banquet that I attended. I'm not sure I can answer all of my own questions about the tunnel and light yet..but i'll talk about one of the reason's in this post.

1. What if you get to the mouth of the tunnel, barely see the light, and then realize you're right back in another different, darker tunnel???

I guess this basically is asking what do you do when life happens? Until recently, I didn't really understand what it felt like to desperately want a change in my life. A total change...change of scenery, people, state of mind, everything. So here I am, (in my tunnel), getting through lectures with high doses of caffeine, taking tests with every luck charm i can find, and trying to find positivity and passion in what seems like the longest/gloomiest/coldest/draining year of my life. I love medicine, but this year has drained me. So anyway, my point is this: what would I do if in the midst of my tunnel (aka complaining) i suddenly am thrown into a worse tunnel, a tunnel that nobody would ever want to be in? I ask myself this because a beloved friend is in this situation. We were truckin along, complaining along the way that school sucks, and boom...life happened to her, in the most tragic way possible...the sudden loss of a parent. That makes my tunnel seem like nothing. Who am I to complain about anything! I can't even begin to imagine what I would do in that situation. But I do know that we (myself def included) get caught up in this idea that we're in this tunnel and if we can just desperately make it to the end, we'll be great and happy! My friend's situation reminds me that this isn't really a great way of thinking. We never know what can happen in life. That light might not come when you expect it, and there's no real explanation for things, life just happens sometimes I suppose. We can be so close to what we think is "the light" and then we can get side swiped by another tunnel that came out of nowhere!!! How do you prepare for that? You can't. But I'm taking a vow to not put myself in any metaphorical tunnels ever again. There are always going to be things to complain about, situations that are less than optimal in my life. But rather than look at it as "oh i just have to get through this time in my life", I'm going to try to learn and make the most of every second ...even if it is tunnel-esque. Maybe that sounds a little naive. I know life can be tough, and its ok to have rough patches and feel like you're in a tunnel. I'm just saying I'm going to try my best not to get sucked into the idea that things will get better without any effort. Maybe what I'm trying to say is I want to make my own "light at the end of the tunnel" even in the worst of situations. Because you just never know when life can happen...and all you're left to do is react to yet another darker tunnel and no light.