THE SCHOOL RUNS has been challenging and exacting for most parents, particularly in the severe and treacherous terrains of the winter months. However, I kept myself grounded by listening to my two young children talk about what they are currently learning in school these I find fascinating. “ In the Beginning mind there are many possibilities and in the experts mind there are few”. As I turned from the Stoney Trail to an unknown road I keenly observed the traffic sign, I thought to myself, this seems confusing at times particularly if you were colorblind. Then the Radio presenter with his husky voice interrupted the momentary silence in the car and announced that U.S Labor Department studies has consistently shown over the years that only 50 percent of new hires last more than six months in their new jobs. Is this due to the bipolar existence of our global culture or perhaps low-high uncertain cultures I wondered? My children assert that the problem may be due to poor sleep and lack of boundaries in most homes …I listened attentively… understand they have heard gossip many times on the play ground. I took a breath and said a prayer under my breath. My mind drifted back to recent news of local hospitals being inundated with new variants of the Cold virus and then missing my morning walk and last Coaching session with one of my mentors … that’s not good enough and am aware this could lead to another tempest if I did not take my Wellbeing seriously then I recalled the saying of Epictetus said, “ There is only one way to Happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will. If you have read my previous blog about the ‘black death’ you will be able to contextualize this paragraph otherwise I will encourage to read my blog WHAT’s in a Language!
MY DRIVE BACK TO my consulting office was tranquil as you could imagine and was oblivious to the chaos of the traffic around me and reminding myself to take frequent deep breaths to clear my head, manage my stress and prepare for the busy day ahead which involves listening deeply, asking powerful questions and helping my clients to strategies and think differently to navigate the uncertainties in the economy. “Many Situations in life are similar to going on a hike: the view changes once you start walking. You don’t need all the answers right now. New paths will reveal themselves If you have the courage to get started.”
BEFORE MY FIRST coaching meeting I grab a cuppa and read the poem of Thomas Hardy one of my psychiatrist friends send to me the other day. We both trained back at the Maudsley Hospital. His message reminded me of the huge sacrifice we made to navigate the trenches characterized by sleepless nights, listening to human suffering, while making life and death decisions amid tempest of chaos as the dark cloud envelope the city of London. He told me of his promising career as a Psychiatrist in the England and he wasn’t surprised that am not currently practicing as a psychiatrist because of my curiosity and embolden me on my unconventional path of physician that specializes in well-being, resilience, coaching and Longevity. It seemed to me like a dream (But will leave it to my Freudian colleagues to figure this out!) I have chosen a different path for now and my main priority is to add value to small businesses and top organization in North America. I took another deep breath and refocus my attention on the inspiring poem.
The Self- Unseeing
Here is the ancient floor,
Footworn and hollowed and thin,
Here was the former door
Where the dead feet walked in.
She sat here in her chair,
Smiling into the fire;
He who played stood there,
Bowing it higher and higher.
Childlike, I danced in a dream;
Blessings emblazoned that day:
Everything glowed with a gleam;
Yet we were looking away!
AT THE END of the day I made a few phone calls then looked at my next day’s schedule. Stoic look on my face. My wife text distracted me for few seconds and she reminded me of our meeting with our new friends in our neighborhood. I thought to myself, I am grateful for my ‘work-Live balance’, having the best job in the world, and am now free from the bureaucracy and politics of most hospitals! I can focus my talents on adding value to my clients and making my society a better place!
BEFORE LEAVING OFFICE I heard a soft knock on the door and the sound reverberated down the hall as if someone was conducting sound experiment to figure out the speed of sound, that would be interesting ‘thought experiment’. My Assistant quietly entered my office with a gift from one of our clients, I opened the package and surprise it’s a book by Oliver Sacks with a thank you note. Out of curiosity I opened the book and my eyes were transfixed on the 2nd paragraph “ As a writer, I find gardens essential process: as a physician, I take my patients to gardens whenever possible. All of us have had the experience of wandering through a lush garden or a timeless desert, walking by a river or an ocean, or climbing a mountain and finding ourselves simultaneously calmed and re-invigorated, engaged in mind, refreshed in body and spirit. The importance of these physiological states on individual and community health is fundamental and wide ranging. In my forty years of medical practice, I have found only two types of non-pharmaceutical “therapy” to be vitally important for patients with chronic neurological diseases: music and gardens.
THE DRIVE back home was blissful in the midst of the evening winter traffic. Looking forward to spending time with my family, smile on my face, somewhat exercising my facial muscles. It occurred to me that I had forgotten to take my supplements this morning. But who need supplements when you can play with your family! Obviously, I am thankful for my family, friends, critics and Community and the fact that I live in the most beautiful country in the World.
Ayez un repos conscient de la semiane and profiter de la periode des fetes!
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