To Consume or Commune?

It seems to me that one of the defining continuums upon which we reside is the one in which we either live to consume or live to commune. The former defines a person who devotes energy to survival and to taking any good or service deemed to have value in creating a better moment or in adding comfort or in increasing the likelihood of another day. They are existential in that they must choose what they do with themselves, and they have chosen their own needs over the needs of others. Any connection to others is only to further personal ends. The latter, in contrast, devotes energy to connecting with something outside of themselves. They are primarily concerned with developing relationships and considering a possible existence beyond the tangible, measurable, or perceivable. They are not dreamers in that they still attempt to sort out the how and the why of their connections, but they are convinced that these relationships and something beyond themselves must be of more import than they are as individuals.

We all, of course, live somewhere along the line. We all must take, and we all must consume to survive in this place, or relationships will never happen and any greater purpose will never be fulfilled. However, I am absolutely convinced we must all lift our eyes from the sweater we are knitting and climb Maslow’s hierarchy as soon as we are aware of our presence on the pyramid. We must find context and choose to allow our essential core to connect with the common source of our existence. We may do this by degrees, I think. First, as we meet others and come to realize we are all made of the same stuff. Then, as we pursue the origin of the stuff. Eventually, we realize that either we are accidental and that any pursuit was fruitless, or that we are not accidental, and we have no earthly idea as to why. Therein, I think, lies the beginning of wisdom.

My hope is that we all find our hearts. I hope we can connect, so we may be properly born into lives of purpose and, eventually, become wise. Not a bad goal. I'll keep trying.

Didn't break an ankle

So... I was traveling horizontally over the earth at several hundred miles an hour, and I bailed out of the plane. Nice plane, too. Within a few seconds I was traveling at a hundred miles an hour at roughly 90 degrees to initial trajectory. After feeling the adrenaline rush and wind screaming by in head-down orientation, I formed a hard arch, found the handle, and pulled hard. Chute opened. And, I began a controlled descent.

I had a terrific view as I guided the foil down to an LZ, flared nicely and seem to have landed back on campus. Nothing broken. Just need to get ready to get back in another plane. Same pilots, new team. Will be good to get to know them over the next few months. So far they seem like great people.

The last four months have been busy. Hillary finished her program with flying colors (4.0 GPA) and accepted a position as a K-12 principal in an idyllic town in the heartland of America near her two boys. All in all, it couldn't have turned out much better. We have said many prayers of thanks along the way.

We seem to be getting along better than we have in quite awhile and have established some new rules of living that will hopefully keep us more positive and constructive, more focused and deliberate as we recommit ourselves to each other and the challenges of the next four years. We will see what the horizon brings because we won't be standing still.

My plan is to study as I can in order to prepare for reentry. I begin in 5 and a half months. There is much to learn, and I will do my best to make it my own. Thank you to everyone for being there, for your teaching and support, and for this amazing chance to be a doctor. It's time to take a deep breath and start making a difference for my patients - and anyone else that I might meet along the way.