Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Physician Wellness & Life Design”
I recently read about Parker Palmer in a book on life design, and my interest was piqued sufficiently to lead me to a commencement speech he gave at Naropa University in 2015. Naropa is a Buddhist educational center in Boulder, Colorado, so we had a not-your-typical-speaker at a not-your-typical-university scenario. I thought one passage moving enough to share as a …
Since returning from a three week family road trip across my home state of California, I’ve been in a state of flux, and it’s left me feeling uncertain at times, a bit down at others. For one, it would seem that Rome is burning. An entire third of our trip was altered at the last minute due to devastating fires …
Erik Erikson was a developmental psychologist and analyst who coined the term “identity crisis.” His theory of developmental stages remains influential, despite the fact that his education was more experiential than his fellow analysts, who often touted their more impressive institutional pedigrees.I was introduced to his theories as an undergraduate majoring in Human Biology, and they stuck with me. His …
Living in coastal California, one encounters significant exposed flesh on a daily basis. There are tattoos and tan lines and thongs to navigate. Despite this baseline, our family has mostly worn broad-brimmed hats and rash guards to pool and beach events. As one dad bluntly commented when our evidently out of place family arrived at a family pool party, “Here …
As a child, I walked with my head in the clouds and my eyes on the ground. I was a born scavenger. There was definite joy in finding dropped coins that others missed or pocketing unique and shiny metal contraptions that fed my daydreams (shortly after Star Wars came out, I excitedly mistook a hex shank socket driver for a …
I started this blog in September of 2016, and I’ve been dropping a post at least twice a week since that time. I’m not convinced I have all that much to say, and I’m certain that many others could express it more eloquently or memorably than I do. Yet I persist because I relish the relationship this blog permits me …
In a couple of weeks, 3 of the 4 occupants of our home will be fully vaccinated. This is cause for (not so much joy as) a modicum of relief. And while it’s great that California announced that it will hold a lottery where 10 vaccinated people will have a shot at winning $1.5 million each, we didn’t do it …
I come from a family, and a tradition, that is historically steeped in guilt. Visits home used to end on a sour note, despite the best of intentions. We would contort our schedules and sublimate our priorities to visit family. Then, without fail, this script would play out: Me: It’s been a really nice visit. Dad: You need to come …
In a couple of years, I’m going to hit a life milestone that has nothing to do with financial goals or control of my time. My First Colonoscopy. The words read like an utterly forgettable children’s book (turns out someone else thought so, too). My wife and I have never met a gastroenterologist who wasn’t profoundly humane, hilarious, or both. …
Your dentist constitutes an intimate relationship. Like the little birds hopping in and out of the crocodile’s teeth, there’s a level of trust implicit in letting another human being near your mouth. Once you understand the anatomy of the carotid artery, the level of trust deepens substantially. A dear friend once proclaimed that you can’t truly call a place home …