Medico Musings: 2007年11月

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11月22日

Aging

I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday. This morning we got up early and went hiking up one of our local mountains with two of our friends. It was a gorgeous, sunny day, and we worked up a good appetite for the celebrations that followed. While we were immersing ourselves in the majesty of our surroundings, the subject of aging came up. The following is a lighthearted view on a topic that becomes a concern to all of us as we get less young.

Aging

George Carlin's view on aging

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old
is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited
about aging that you think in fractions. "How old are you?" "I'm four and a
half!"

You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on
five! That's the key. You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back.
You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead. "How old are you?" "I'm
gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16!

And then the greatest day of your life . . . you become 21. Even the
words sound like a ceremony . . . YOU BECOME 21. . . YES!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like
bad milk. He TURNED, we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're
just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40.

Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it,
you REACH 50 . . . and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.
You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a
day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday! You get into your 80s and every day is a
complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime.

And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I
was JUST 92." Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you
become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"

May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

Next post: Tips on staying young

11月16日

Consent Form

I’m always impressed by the resilience and apparent boundless optimism of some of my patients. Faced with devastating illness and sometimes bleak prospects for the future, these exceptional individuals exhibit grace and enduring good humor at times difficult for many to even imagine. I try to learn from them, and hope that some day I will be able to be at least a pale reflection of their courage when burdened with my own cross. They also serve as continual reminders of the fragility of human life, the need to be mindful of the moment, of our good fortune, and to be thankful for the blessings of good health, family and friends. At this time of the year, the following poem clearly expresses this message. Be well, and a Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Consent Form With Signature

She says if she loses her legs

she will be okay;

she will focus on immediate rewards –

learning alone

to drop from bed to wheelchair,

dressing, using the bathroom.

Her mind,

her intelligence,

are undiminished,

and the zeppelin of imagination

unmoored from the ground of the body –

ascendant.

Her soul soars. She’s not waiting –

the path of grace, she says, might be faster on wheels.

Richard Jones

11月9日

Bye, bye, Paradise

All good things must come to an end, so we left Kauai behind us, returning to the rather over-rated reality of work and daily chores. As we watched the emerald green canopy of the island surrounded by it's justly famous soft sand beaches recede rapidly in the window of our Aloha jet, we vowed to return again soon. Indeed, it was a most relaxing of weeks. We snorkeled in silky warm waters protected by corral reefs, decorated with bright parrot fish and yellow tangs swimming lazily by. We climbed around the rim of Waimea Canyon, a somewhat smaller scale Grand Canyon, but with more color and the added beauty of green vegetation to break the stark buttes of water and wind carved rock. We hiked out to the roaring waterfalls of the Wailua River, as well as to graceful tall streamers cascading from nearby mountain sides. We lazed on spotless beaches where ours were the only footprints to be seen sinking below ankle depth into the luxurious wave licked sand. And oh, yes, we ate. We ate fresh ono and ahi, nectar sweet pineapples, exotic island fruits, and a plethora of local delicacies to tempt the most jaded of appetites. Most wonderful of all, we let go. We released all those cares and concerns that had wound us tighter than a top, letting them all melt away in the melodies of the trade winds through the palms, to be buried by the crushing of the rolling waves below our window into oblivion. Refreshed, rejuvenated, we are home again, ready to tackle what the fates may lay before us, grateful for this brief respite Kauai has given us. It is truly the Garden Isle, as you may see by the photos I posted here. Be well, and enjoy your weekend.