I didn’t mean to see it. A daughter’s email, signed by a professor, not, “sent from my iPhone,” but rather a quote from influential essayist James Baldwin. The words, arrhythmically repeating in my head, like an AM-radio song. Why won’t it stop? “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed […]
This weekend’s Ohio Valley Cyclocross finale marked our family’s end to another great season of bike racing. The drenching rains made for true CX conditions. There’s just something about racing a bike through ankle deep mud that’s inherently uplifting. Math folks call such a common denominator. This pic of teammate and pal, Rachel Fagerburg sums […]
I’m still very sad about losing my Mom. The sadness seems to come in waves. I figure this will persist for a long while. Getting back to work has helped tremendously. Focusing on taking care of people helps me. It seems there is still a lot of AF out there. Sadness doesn’t seem to help […]
So Mom… Your love and devotion to me approached infinity. As a younger, I longed for nothing. You loved me—whether I was on a podium or not. This was a mother’s love. Your love. I knew you cared about my achievements, but now I understand: you loved seeing me happy. Thanks for that. You waited […]
There’s severe pain. Damn masses. There’s fear. Damn unknown. There were all those hugs. Dinners. Rides. Shoes. Clothes. College tuition. Laundry. And much more. A Mother’s love is different than a Dad’s. Obviously. I wasn’t an easy child. Most cardiologists weren’t easy on their parents. My Mom took really good care of me. Now I’ll […]
Don’t misread this as a political statement, but I really like reading David Brooks. He makes me think; his take on things helps me understand what’s happening in the world around me. He’s smart, thoughtful and considers both sides of an argument before taking a stand. That’s what good doctors do. (And to be honest, […]
You have probably read that experience makes for better doctors. And of course this would be true–in the obvious ways, like with the hand-eye coordination required to do complex procedures, or more importantly, with the judgment of when to do them. There’s no news here: everyone knows you want a doctor that’s been out of […]
Since it is Friday, I usually try to write about something reflective or inspiring. Cheery. Positive. Heart-healthy even. -Something that makes me forget that I had to sign (now) 5 times to do a five minute procedure. –Or that an insurance company doctor doesn’t understand why I need to do a CT scan after an […]
I needed some uplift. And look what I saw hanging distantly on a dusty wall of the basement: I read it, again. There was a churn, from within. Sometimes it helps to remember the basics—the bottom line, the real meaning, the forest, not the trees or the CPT codes, or the…(many) negative things that draw […]
Whenever a patient asks whether they can exercise, or go here, or there, I liken it to them asking whether they can live life. My answer is always the same…YES. The alternative seems terrible. In this regard, moving on in the face of illness, let me share with you the writings of a very famous […]
So many have written moving tributes. So many directly affected. I can only say this: I remember. And this, to my many firefighter friends… Thank you. Those decisions; you have my respect. The optimist in me also recalls how people–we are all just people–came together after the tragedy. Hope. In us, people. And our hearts. […]