Q: If I’m on a hero’s journey, what elixir do I bring back to this ordinary world? I served on various committees when I was a physician, including the Infection Control Committee and the Antibiotic Stewardship Committee. Being an Infectious Disease doctor made it logical to be recruited to these meetings.
Q is for Quest(ions) Read More »
Every successful poem is a micro-transformation, both in the reading and in the writing. As I’m sure you’re aware, April is not only blog challenge month, it’s also National Poetry Month. When I first began writing poetry seriously, back in 2004, I learned that to write poetry, I had to read poetry. I started
O is for opportunity. In my life, I’ve discovered that misfortune can sometimes lead to opportunity. A sudden reversal can lead to seeing things in a new way. If I’m willing to reflect, I can reframe the situation. When I was deciding whether to close my practice, new competitors were a worry until I
O is for Opportunity Read More »
When I say “new writing,” I mean writing generated on the spot to a prompt, like the writing that I do in generative writing workshops. In new writing, I get my stream of consciousness down onto the page. It flows, but it’s not usually good writing. It needs to be more concise, more vivid.
N is for New Writing Read More »
Recently, I read a book by Javier Zamora, the memoir Solito. It’s the harrowing story of how he came to the US from El Salvador at the age of nine. His parents had already escaped from the horrors of the war, leaving Javier with his grandparents. His family paid a coyote to accompany him
M is for Migration Read More »
Let go of the outcome. It’s a paradox (kind of like writing formal poetry). I have a goal of letting go of goals. It’s a great learning process. For instance, having a son is a blessing. He is smart, funny, sensitive, mature, and caring. Did I set out with these specific goals in mind?
Thoughtful Kindness I used to precept medical trainees in Ambulatory Palliative Care clinic. Once, a Resident relayed a patient request to me. I don’t remember the details. The patient could have been asking for a medication for pain or anxiety, or they could have been requesting an unnecessary lab test or x-ray. We had a
Writing Every Day The word journal comes from the Latin diurnal which means daily. I’ve already covered Dailiness under my D post, but exploring the derivation of the root -jour- brings me to enticing words. Words like adjourn (to suspend a meeting to a future day), sojourn (a temporary stay), journeyman (someone who does
(An excerpt from my memoir-in-progress) The Hospice Medical Director role gave me an excuse to bring poetry into my work as a physician. I selected a poem to begin every weekly meeting, sometimes one of my own. One day I read a poem by Mark Doty, “The Embrace,” and I looked up to see
I Make My Team Cry Read More »
Long Term Benefits How has writing a memoir helped me heal? First, I’ve been able to turn my former self into a protagonist in a story, a flawed but hopefully likable character. I can empathize with her. I can slap my forehead and say Doh! Why is she doing this? This is a bad decision.
