Feeling Human again ...

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children...to leave the world a better place...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

As physicians, we treat any number of illnesses, speak to patients about treatment options, and comfort families when bad news is given. Although we are sometimes held to a higher standard, held in high regard, or think very highly of ourselves, we are still only human. Every once and a while one of are own, family, friend or colleges, is struck ill or dies and it reminds us how human we are. We are not gods or immortals, but human.

One of our colleagues was affected this past Christmas eve. I will say a prayer for him and wish his family well. I will hug my children a little longer tonight.

"Carpe diem! Rejoice while you are alive; enjoy the day; live life to the fullest; make the most of what you have. It is later than you think.”

~Horace

If the shoe fits ...

“Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.”

~Unknown

I think one of the hardest things to to for a runner is to find the right pair of shoes. Each foot and shoe is different. Sometimes you find a shoe that is recommended; it has a great write up in the Runners World magazine; and it gets great reviews. It is a good fit in the store. You pay the $100+ and walk out of the store. You walk around in the shoes to begin the break in process and may be few short runs to get use to the new shoes. Then you begin the longer runs and you realize that you feet are killing you, there are blisters, and your toenails are turning black. That was probably not the shoe for you. Choosing a specialty within orthopaedics is very much like choosing a pair of running shoes. There are a lot of specialties and all have positives and negatives. Not every specialty is for everyone. Over the next several months, I will have a number of guests on my blog. I have asked some of my friends to describe their specialty practice. We will have a discussion of the pluses and minuses in each specialty and speak a little about particular practice types. The titles of these posts are listed below.

NEW BALANCE: General OrthopaedicsASCICS: SportsNIKE: Shoulder and ElbowREEBOK: HandSAUCONY: SpineADIDAS: Total JointKEEN: Foot and AnkleBROOKS: TumorMIZUNO: PEDS
NORTH FACE: Trauma

So, please stay tuned. I hope these topics will be helpful at distinguishing the different specialties. It is only a guide. I will try to be as unbiased as possible. Although, I may have to make a couple of digs at each specialty. (Smiley face)

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”
~Frederick Keoni