It’s the time of year when caps and gowns are all the rage, when adorable preschoolers become kindergartners, middle schoolers become big, bad high schoolers, and college students become full-fledged adults. Over the years, though, another type of graduation has crept up on me, and it wasn’t one I planned for or anticipated.
9
Uncertainty: Am I Dying Or Am I A Fool?
Being the doctor is always better than being the patient. And being an Emergency Physician has apparently spoiled me. No, I certainly don’t love every aspect of my job, and the bureaucracy and competing yet incompatible demands make me want to pull my hair out and scream… But it’s still better than the uncertainty of being the patient.
27
ChooseBetterLife One Year Blogiversary Edition
ChooseBetterLife.com went live one year ago. Like most anniversaries, this blogiversary seems both like it took forever and like it arrived in the blink of an eye. I’ve written 55 posts on a hodgepodge of life-improving topics with readers from 107 different countries!* As with everything, the journey taught me some important lessons about what’s important to me and helped me focus on new goals for the next year.
5
Will You Go Or Send Your Representative Instead?
So often when we struggle we feel alone, like we’re the only ones to ever face a similar sadness or hardship. We hide our stories, smother our feelings, and paste on a smile before facing the world. But when we choose to be open and honest, we find love, support, and community. We find that we’re far from alone. We’re actually normal, but unfortunately even being normal means feeling alone because no one talks about the hard times. We all …
18
Fill Your Emergency Fund With Time
For the last six weeks, it seems that all I’ve done is sleep and cough. And wake myself up from sleep to cough. The virus that brought me down this year was atypically nasty, and it was quite humbling to be so sick for so long. And Life Goes On When we’re sick, we still need to eat, drink, and bathe. Bills, mail, and emails still arrive, and the senders expect responses and payments. Our plants threaten to die if they don’t …
9
Your Uber Driver Wasn’t Trained For That
Are Uber drivers the new first responders? We expect heroic acts from police, firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs. The Emergency Department staff also sees it all, but (usually) with more personal safety and resources. Now Uber too? Really? I’m a recent convert to Uber because it can make travel feel more personal, like we’re visiting friends and family. We are able to ride in comfort and know that we’re also helping people help their families with their side hustles. It’s so much …
18
A Non-Milestone Birthday
My birthday was last month, and it was wonderful. The week was filled with friends, family, brownies, Mexican food, hikes, gardening, and planning a trip to New Zealand! I couldn’t have asked for anything more. It was also a pretty typical week. I’m amazingly lucky to enjoy all these things* year-round, not just in February. So what’s the point of birthdays, and why can’t I get excited about mine anymore?
19
Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual
Are you one of the 45 million Americans on a diet this year? Are you (like me) trying to eat better to live a longer and healthier life? Which food rules did you choose? Low fat? Low carb? South Beach? Atkins? Zone? Volumetrics? Weight Watchers? Jenny Craig? Slim Fast? Paleo? How did you decide? And what do you actually eat? Kale is sooo 2015, so how about jackfruit? Much of our nutritional research and guidelines are tainted by pseudoscience, subsidies, and …