The Sun Also Rises

January 10, 2011, 7:26 pmDoctor Psychobabble3 comments

“I thought I had paid for everything. Not like the woman pays and pays and pays. No idea of retribution or punishment. Just exchange of values. You gave something up and got something else. Or you worked for something. You paid some way for everything that was any good.”

- From “The Sun Also Rises” by Ernest Hemingway

The Sun Also Rises

I just got home from a long day at the hospital. Today was not a great day. But it was not a horrible day, either. And I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Pun intended.

It took me about 5 minutes to find a tongue depressor today. But that’s down from 10 minutes to find a bag of normal saline last week. So, in the vein of my chronic optimism, that’s something to be happy about.

I’m slowly starting to get the hang of inpatient internal medicine…the EMR system…the bathroom codes…the nurses…and all of those small random things, which actually have a huge impact on my overall functionality.

Life does get better. And as the above quote implies, all great things come at some cost. And being a great doctor is in fact a great thing.

I took the above photo through the hospital window last week. I am attempting to continue my “video/photo a day” goal for 2011. So far I have managed to take a video or photo every day. I pause. Even though pausing is the lowest item on my list every day. Pausing brings me perspective. And perspective brings me peace.

I shared this photo with a patient today. He told me that it was the best thing he’d seen in quite sometime. He smiled and thanked me for bringing a little bit of beauty and joy into his day. His words brought me incredible joy.

Words worth working for.

  • http://www.TheseScrubs.com Doug S

    Way to shmear the beauty around Kendra. Pausing is a remedy for me too. If we don’t pause at least once every few vine swings, we may find ourselves falling, unable to reach that next vine. Great perspective on “not a great day.” Keep on keepin’ on.

  • Lurkette

    Excellent! From the worst day of your life to seeing progress in small things – let’s hear it for chronic optimism!

    During the worst clinical rotation of my life I kept muttering “succesive approximations to the desired goal… successive approximations…” Life is made up of more “small, random things” than huge, crucial events. Look at this as an exercise in empathy for your psych patients who feel overwhelmed.

    My other mantra? “This too shall pass”.

    Your blog and photos are one of the small things that make up my good days. Thanks!

  • Claire

    This is a beautiful photo. When I’m a doctor (I like to be optimistic too) I hope I still know how to pause and appreciate the small things like you do.