A morning worth remembering. Yesterday a large swell hit the coast. I woke up early (without an alarm!) and was one of the first handful of guys to paddle out at my local spot. It was a tough paddle, chest to head high, and unfortunately my leash broke before I made it into the lineup. I had only the one …
Diversifying My Portfolio
A little over two years ago I left clinical medicine completely for an administrative position involving population health. The position has been a wonderful Act Two that allows me to use my brain in new ways, problem solve creatively with a team I really appreciate, and is orders of magnitude less stressful than the emergency department. At the start of …
I Heard It Before I Saw It
I Heard It Before I Saw It It was a slightly overcast end to the day, an early evening on the coast. I was taking out the trash – the last thing I expected was a moment of wonder. Then I heard the call for the first time in a year – it could only be a hooded oriole. An …
Regression As Transgression
Spring Break this year constituted visits to family. The hazard with such visits is always trying to time the duration exactly right, long enough that the memories you make together lay a foundation for positive common experiences, short enough that you don’t regress to your worst childhood self. I used to be a squeeze every ounce together kind of guy, …
Reaching A Moving Goalpost
Figuring out your Number may lead to insomnia.Back around 2016, I read like crazy. I found and devoured the Mr. Money Mustache blog, and then had the uniquely ridiculous experience of citing the unusually named blog to completely serious friends during highly intellectual conversations. I consumed the Bogleheads book, routinely pored over the Bogleheads wiki, and researched relevant threads from …
Reflecting On Five Years Of Three Week Vacations
Six years ago I cut back drastically on my clinical shifts in the ED. I asked the person in charge of planning our schedule if I could batch my shifts such that it would allow me to travel for 3 weeks in the summer with family. I got the green light, and never looked back. When I reinvented my career …
Same Planet, Different Universe Of Choices
Recently, I caught up on the writing of a fellow physician finance blogger, Dr. Cory Fawcett at Financial Success MD. Cory is a “repurposed” surgeon who reinvented his career after leaving medicine in his early 50s to become an author, coach and financial blogger. I admire him for forging this encore career. When his youngest son had an unexpected window of …
Out Of Sequence
Bidding my daughter good night recently, I played her an album of Icelandic alternative rock (Sigur Ros) that I haven’t listened to for years. The songs were orchestral, a little abrasive to listen to, but they built on one another through their arrangement. It got me thinking (in the digressive manner I increasingly relish with age) about order. I was …
Superpowers Beget Superpowers
Because I am a dirtbag by nature, I did not need to spend a lot of money to enjoy the things I valued during and after residency and fellowship. As an attending, I rented an apartment, drove a beater, and continued to travel like the budget backpacker I’ve always been. [I’m still that guy. An older friend recently retired, and …
An Unexpected Legacy For The Fruit Of My Loins (2 of 2)
[This is Part 2 of 2. Please find Part 1 here.] When we last checked in, I was a high school student enjoying the benefits of participation in theater arts and music. The value can best be described as a combination of eventual self-confidence that comes with repeat public performances compounded by the comfort in one’s skin that comes with …