To me, it is amazing how life is so different now then when I wrote my last article for the scope. That was back before the ACA was cancelled, and seems like years ago, though in reality it was only a few months ago. Let me start off by saying that I have been lucky. I live in an area that did not have extremely high numbers of COVID-19, and thankfully the infections and deaths have been low. I want to acknowledge that each death from this disease was a person who had family and friends. Their loss has touched the world and is devastating. My thoughts and well-wishes go out to their family and friends. I want to acknowledge and thank all of the medical personal, first responders, and essential workers who have kept our world going through this craziness. I want to acknowledge you, my colleagues and friends and members of our colleges, who have played such an essential role in saving the lives of our patients, helping our patients through emergencies, and just being there for them. I am so proud of all of you and have so much respect for all you have done.
Some personal observations, I have from the beginning of the pandemic to now.
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Crises and pandemics can bring out the best and worst in people. I have seen so many people stand up to help others, donate, sew masks, and just make sure that others are okay. I have also seen people so concerned about their own issues, that they are willing to put that ahead of anything else.
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Keeping in touch with current friends and reconnecting with old friends has been a positive that I can take away from this. Sharing our experiences, frustrations, and triumphs with people we know well is such a positive for our mental health.
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As part of my attempt to stay physically and mentally healthy, and since I had the time, I tried and I am continuing yoga. Seeing me in the wind relieving pose is definitely a sight.
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An interview question that none of us ever think to ask is, how would the people I am choosing to work with, react in a crisis? It is something to think about.
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My cooking and baking skills have definitely improved. My homemade pizza has been a big hit. My homemade chocolate cupcakes with homemade butter cream frosting went so fast, that even I was amazed. According to my son, I have actually learned how to make tofu that he would happily eat, and I am especially proud of my homemade bagels. While not always perfectly round, they made up for it by disappearing almost as fast as I could bake them. I am not going to mention all of my failures, but let’s just say baking bread on a grill when the power is out, is probably not the way to go.
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It has been wonderful being this close and getting to spend so much time together as a family, but I am sure my college son is counting down the days to when he can get back to school.
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Enjoy the people we love as much as we can, let people know you care about them, and above all remember to be kind.
Article by: Donald Morris, DO AOCOO-HNS, President-Elect