He stood out to me before we became friends. His all white hair and a matching goatee contrasted well with his dark complexion – you could spot him easily in a crowded room. He was quick to laugh, knew everyone, and introduced himself to newcomers. He was the ultimate volunteer dad when our oldest was in elementary school, leading songs …
My Proudest Moment in Medicine
I was having a conversation with dear friends over game night last week, and one asked if I would advise my kids to pursue careers in medicine. I ended up coming up with a laundry list of all the reasons that practicing medicine is difficult right now, but I acknowledged that although it has diminished with the weirdly adversarial position …
A Renewal of Empathy
Great literature creates a space for empathy for the human condition, working its magic in unexpected ways. Last night I found myself in a particular netherworld you might relate to: I’ve finished a great book, I don’t like the book assigned from my book club, I don’t have a show I particularly need to watch, and I want something nourishing …
Valuing Seclusion
Our recent summer travel highlighted a new and reasonable expectation from my kids: a daily dose of seclusion. The kids are 14 and 16, respectively, and it’s not surprising that they want time to themselves. These are age-appropriate needs. What caught me off guard is how blind I was to those needs in spite of sharing them. Since 2017, we …
Same Vacation, Different Trips
As a DIY independent traveler, I assume full responsibility for our vacations: optimizing credit card points to purchase airfare, reserving Airbnb accommodations, verifying that sites of interest are open on the dates we schedule visits, managing domestic travel via plane, Metro, bus and Ferry. I also create the itinerary. Over the years I’ve come to understand the characteristics that make …
What Your Allergy List Says About You
I am a fan of the physician finance blogger Side Hustle Scrubs, a fellow ER doc who was my spirit animal. He made me laugh like no one before or since. He abruptly deleted his blog in 2019, and left no trace. Using a little black magic, I’ve resurrected his most memorable post. I hope to prod my old friend …
Rehearsal
I am up before dawn. My daughter is about to leave the U.S. for a couple of weeks on an all expenses paid program to another country, part of a sponsored cultural exchange. She will live with a family, converse in the language of the land, and experience the solitude and growth that accompanies this type of experience. I am …
Something That’s Yours Alone
I recently struggled through an awkward encounter with someone dear to me. I had mentioned in passing that I was selected to participate in an out of town conference related tangentially to this blog – a chance to rejoin the community of physician finance geeks and to see old “invisible friends” that I continue to sustain connectedness with. This person …
An Enduring Friendship
When I met C, we were in the 4th grade. Although I’d started at the school a few years earlier, he fit right into my circle of nerds, occupying the key role of dungeonmaster during games of Dungeons and Dragons at lunch. We were both brought by bus to a public magnet school located in a wealthy part of LA …
Craft
My wife and I recently resolved to spend a half day on a date to avail ourselves of some of the cultural attractions of big city living. We settled on the Petersen Automotive Museum in LA, a strikingly clad building housing hundreds of rare vehicles. My son accompanied a good friend and his family to this museum a few months …