What is this self inside us, this silent observer,
Severe and speechless critic , who can terrorize us
And urge us on to futile activity
And in the end, judge us still more severely
For the errors into which his own reproaches drove us?
--T. S. Eliot, The Elder Statesman
...
If your house is anything like mine over the last few weeks, Encanto, the latest Disney hit, has been on replay nonstop. And while everyone else is talking about not talking about Bruno, it is another song that has captured the attention of many physicians. For those of...
“There” is no better than “here.” When your “there” has become a “here,” you will simply obtain another “there” that will again look better than “here.”
―
The first time I heard the phrase “shoulding all over yourself,” I laughed. As a gastroenterologist, I have a particular affinity for poop jokes. It might not be obvious when you read the phrase, but say it out loud, and you will hear it. I think...
One of the biggest struggles of my adult life has been the elusive idea of work-life balance. It seems like a simple concept. First, determine your priorities. Then, live your life aligned with those priorities. Easy peasy. But somehow, every time I...
Foreboding Joy. I didn’t make it up. In fact, I had never even heard of foreboding joy. I had also never heard of Brené Brown, the author of Daring Greatly, where I was first introduced to the idea of foreboding joy. If you haven’t read ...
I wanted to write about the power of positive thinking. I wanted to tell you that having good thoughts can serve you. I wanted to start by quoting Roald Dahl: "If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sunbeams, and you will always look lovely."...
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
The idea of leaning into discomfort is a tough one for me. I’d love to blame it on age, but I have always been this...
Storytime is over. It is time to wake up!
What is a story? When I think of a story, I think of a fairy tale. Fiction. Made up. Entertainment. The truth is, we tell ourselves stories every day. Narratives in our minds about who we are and what we are capable of...
Why Did We Stop Dreaming?
What do you want to be when you grow up? If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it? If you could be a princess or a superhero, who would you choose? What magical power do you wish you had? We ask our children to...
Think!
There are so many songs about thoughts:
In "Think," Aretha Franklin warns her lover to think about how his actions are affecting her.
In "Cat's In The Cradle," Harry Chapin looks back on his life with regret about how his past actions led him to...
Overwhelm. It is a feeling I know well. It is also a feeling that I have increasingly come to dread. It’s the story of my life. When I think back on my biggest achievements, my biggest moments, there it was: Overwhelm. I still remember the feeling of studying for an AP exam,...