Another essay

Here's a link to an essay I wrote after spending a week with a rural doctor this summer. Might find it interesting...

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1damSgtyHnYd8sh3B2Tcq58QI5hjx2BfLTX2PqTkft-4/edit?hl=en_US

Recent essay

Here's an essay I wrote in response to a prompt at this link: http://virtualmentor.ama-assn.org/site/conleyscenario.html

Essay located here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l6fEC_Q0cuLHaFfM1okdSakPgyyZhux61bYn1kCPKLc/edit?hl=en_US

Thought some folks might find it worth commenting about.

On Happiness

Here's a condensed version of some ideas I have acquired over the years. It's a two-rule version of how to be happy in life. Maybe it will ring true with some of you.

1. Let Things Go

This is the opposite of being stressed. We let things go as we focus on things outside of ourselves rather than on our problems. We must regularly set those hard things aside via a favorite outlet - a sport, volunteer work, or a relaxing hobby. We need to take deep breaths often and laugh more, lighten up, and not take ourselves so seriously. We need to humbly accept our imperfections and realize it will all be okay.

2. Share Your Love

We need to both share and love. We need relationship with one another. We need love in our lives. We need to give it and receive it. It adds meaning and purpose to who we are as love happens in the midst of everything we do and all that we are.

If you can do both, happiness will surely follow.

An ending

Thought I would get the week started with a bit of catch up. Am beginning to get back on track after a setback. I mention a personal issue here simply because it occurs frequently in the lives of medical students and want folks to be aware of its possible impact on them. After much discussion and heartfelt sharing over the last year or two, my wife and I have decided that we will go ahead and be divorced this summer. We had been advised by our counselor last summer that we were probably not well-suited for one another and that we should seriously consider it. I had taken a year off from school hoping that we might repair and solidify the relationship (among other things), but we have not succeeded. We are in a great deal of pain over it, but are convinced it is for the better. Ours is less a product of med school than other influences, but the stress and strain of my schooling has certainly been a factor in our decision. Talking with other married students, I have heard many stories describing the challenges of maintaining a good relationship while enduring the pressures of the program. My best suggestion is simply to try to maintain perspective, rely on good support groups, find them if you have none, and love one another as best you can. If you have children, all the more, but I don’t need to tell you that. If you are both strong and willing to sacrifice for the long term goals of both marriage and doctorhood, I think you will be able to come up with creative methods of staying together. I wish you well if you are in that situation.