Good evening and Happy Saturday,
As I am in the middle of a "work week" (don't feel bad, I get weekdays off that I consider my "weekend"......remember, I'm an ED guy), I am not doing much tonight but chilling out with myself and my thoughts. One thought that ran across my mind is that I (and all of us) should try and be a better version of myself everyday. Now, I completely understand, that this sounds like a daunting task. I mean, to improve everyday??? Is it possible?? Can I do it?? Can You do it?? The answer is an inevitable, 100% YES!!!
The thing is, the change does not need to be anything monumental, nor does it need to be noticeable to anyone but YOURSELF.
For instance, if you think you could have smiled more today, smile more tomorrow. Smiles are one contagious mother father and the more you smile the more you make others smile. So yeah, if that is something you can do BETTER tomorrow, give it a shot.
If you did not hold the door for anyone today, try and do it at least once tomorrow. Chivalry and manners have been forgotten in this age of Tinder, text messages, Snapchat, and the other numerous ways we "try" to show the world who we are. Try and holding a door open for a real person, searching for their Pokemon or not, and see what happens. Perhaps you'll receive a smile, perhaps that person will hold the door open for someone else, perhaps the person will not say shit. Who cares, you will have improved yourself from the previous day....And that, my friends, is a good thing.
If you did not compliment someone today, try it tomorrow. If you add a smile, you could even double up the love. Many people walk this earth self conscious, shy, never receiving compliments from anyone. You could potentially save a life by giving a compliment. A little dramatic, I know, but think about it. You never know who is contemplating suicide or other means of self harm. Perhaps, your compliment could have that person second guess if that's the right idea. I know......that's kind of a powerful notion.... EMBRACE IT!!!!
If you are trying to get in shape and you did not make it to the gym today, or if you quit early on your workout. Tomorrow, try to crush that ish. The whole idea is to improve on the person you are everyday you are alive....As you have good workouts, you will feel better about yourself which will, in turn improve your attitude, which will result in you being nicer to others, which is never a bad thing. Humans are too mean to each other, PERIOD. Try to be the difference maker.
I am not asserting that you will change the world, get a Nobel Peace prize, or rise to the levels of existential bliss. I can say, that your life could seem a little sweeter, your sun may shine brighter, your stresses less important. If you think who would NOT want that?? It is easy to get stuck in a rut, to approach life with negativity, to not enjoy every day you walk this earth. By focusing on improving yourself, you can improve the life of others without even realizing it. That's a win win!!!
That's all for now. Have a great night y'all and remember, if you don't agree, I do not really care.....After all, these are just one man's thoughts.
One Love
Ant
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Don't drink so much coffee
Good morning everybody,
In an attempt to resurrect this blog I thought I'd begin to give you all a reason to appreciate EVERYTHING that you have in your life. As a Pediatric resident in Miami, Florida I had the opportunity to meet and care for some of the most amazing families I could have ever imagined. It is so easy in medicine to focus energy on the "bad" encounters at the expense of forgetting the great ones. This is just a quick story about one little girl I had the absolute fortune of being able to care for. If any of you know I have tattoos, I have one tattoo specifically designed in her memory.
As an intern (first year resident) I began my journey with Heme/Onc being my very first rotation. Through this rotation, for those not in medicine, you get to care for those children with cancer or other blood illnesses (i.e. Sickle Cell disease). On the first week I met a young girl who, unbeknownst to me, would change my outlook on life. She was a young Jamaican girl recently diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma (muscle tumor) to the muscles that help move the eyeball. Ultimately, she had a racquetball size tumor removed from the right side of her face (including her eyeball) and then subsequently had to undergo multiple rounds of chemotherapy.
I met her shortly after her surgery and was able to take care of her as she received that chemo. Chemotherapy is essentially "poison" to the rapidly dividing cancer cells and ultimately has a large effect on the other "healthy cells". Just an educational point, This is why people lose their hair during chemo. The medicine attacks cells that divide at an alarming rate (i.e. cancer) but hair cells divide very fast, so are subject to the effects of the chemo. Anyhow, needless to say, a 7 year old girl missing 1/4 of her face and undergoing weekly chemo sounds almost unbearable. I mean, how many of you all could brave this challenge? Exactly!! This young lady, though, was able to smile, be pleasant and make jokes every time I saw her, no matter what. Additionally, her family was the best. Always bringing doughnuts to the ward and always thankful of our efforts. As many of you in the medical field are aware, ANY FREE FOOD AND POSITIVE COMMENTS ARE 100% GOLD!!!!
Now for those who know me, to this day, I always have a cup of coffee in my hand, and during residency I probably drank even more coffee than I do now (hey, I had to survive residency). One day, I stumble into this little lady's room to pre round and of course I had my coffee. She quietly and with a huge smile on her face handed me a note and told me, "Dr. Pickett, you have to read this." Of course, I could not deny this smiling face her request. On the note, she had written about 7 times... "I will not drink so much coffee". Followed with a note at the bottom that said, "read this everyday". I instantly burst our laughing, she started laughing and in her Jamaican accent told me she was worried because I alway seemed to be drinking what I like to call the nectar of the gods. I sat with her for a while just chatting until I had to get back to my pre rounding. I mean, hey, it was already 5:30 am and I had to be ready by 6. In case you are wondering, I still have that note!!!
I was fortunate enough to take care of her intermittently for the 3 years of residency (depending on what rotation I was on), getting to know her and her family better with every encounter. Needless to say, they were some of my favorite people I have EVER had the pleasure of meeting. After finishing residency I was fortunate enough to spend a year as chief resident. Sounds impressive but it actually is a year more as an administrator, educator, and babysitter to other residents. (yeah, I was the one who had to deny resident's requests for time off to attend dog birthday parties....yeah you read correctly, some residents would request time off for their dog's Bday!!! C'MON MAN.....this is residency).
I was almost done with my chief year when someone told me that this young girl's mother was asking if I was in the hospital. As it turned out my favorite patient, the one who approached her illness with nothing but optimism and smiles, had succumbed to her illness. Her mother was asking if I could come to the bedside since I was one of the child's favorites. Once I heard (I actually just now got chills, thinking about it), I immediately went to her room. When I arrived, mom was standing next to the bed with her hand resting on her daughter's forehead. As she saw me enter the room, she wrapped me in the most meaningful hug I think I've ever received. We said nothing; sometimes silence is best. We sat in silence next to this young girl's bed where she lay deceased. After a while, we began reminiscing about the past 3 1/2 years. The laughter we shared, the struggles when she was really sick, the promise of optimism. The mother mentioned to me, that I had a lot to do with her child's approach to illness. That, even when I was on a different rotation, this girl alway was asking about me and when I'd be back on the heme/onc service. Honestly, I was touched beyond words to feel that at such an early point in my career I was already able to touch an entire family so positively. We sat together for about one hour before I had to go. Her mom, again, thanking the entire healthcare team for all that we had done to try to save her baby girl.
To see this young girl, laying on the bed with no life in her I began to reflect. Despite all that life had thrown at her, she always was upbeat, she never gave up, and she was more worried about my coffee intake than her next round of chemo. Then, I think of everything that I hear everyone complaining about. The list is too long to start naming the infinite amount of things that adults whine, complain, and fester about, but you can only imagine.
This girl, suffering a life threatening disease, had a large part of her face removed, and constantly suffering the painful effects of chemotherapy, KEPT SMILING!!! SHE FREAKING KEPT SMILING.
So I want to put you all to task to stop and think before you complain, before you replace your smile with a frown, or before you are rude to others. Think about this 7 year old Jamaican girl and how she approached life and ultimately the disease that ended her life prematurely. Think about how good you actually do have it despite how bad things may appear. It can ALWAYS be worse. That being said, have a blessed day. I hope I inspire a smile or two, some kindness to others, and perhaps the realization, that things are not that bad.
Have a great day and remember....These are Just One Man's Thoughts
One Love,
Ant
In an attempt to resurrect this blog I thought I'd begin to give you all a reason to appreciate EVERYTHING that you have in your life. As a Pediatric resident in Miami, Florida I had the opportunity to meet and care for some of the most amazing families I could have ever imagined. It is so easy in medicine to focus energy on the "bad" encounters at the expense of forgetting the great ones. This is just a quick story about one little girl I had the absolute fortune of being able to care for. If any of you know I have tattoos, I have one tattoo specifically designed in her memory.
As an intern (first year resident) I began my journey with Heme/Onc being my very first rotation. Through this rotation, for those not in medicine, you get to care for those children with cancer or other blood illnesses (i.e. Sickle Cell disease). On the first week I met a young girl who, unbeknownst to me, would change my outlook on life. She was a young Jamaican girl recently diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma (muscle tumor) to the muscles that help move the eyeball. Ultimately, she had a racquetball size tumor removed from the right side of her face (including her eyeball) and then subsequently had to undergo multiple rounds of chemotherapy.
I met her shortly after her surgery and was able to take care of her as she received that chemo. Chemotherapy is essentially "poison" to the rapidly dividing cancer cells and ultimately has a large effect on the other "healthy cells". Just an educational point, This is why people lose their hair during chemo. The medicine attacks cells that divide at an alarming rate (i.e. cancer) but hair cells divide very fast, so are subject to the effects of the chemo. Anyhow, needless to say, a 7 year old girl missing 1/4 of her face and undergoing weekly chemo sounds almost unbearable. I mean, how many of you all could brave this challenge? Exactly!! This young lady, though, was able to smile, be pleasant and make jokes every time I saw her, no matter what. Additionally, her family was the best. Always bringing doughnuts to the ward and always thankful of our efforts. As many of you in the medical field are aware, ANY FREE FOOD AND POSITIVE COMMENTS ARE 100% GOLD!!!!
Now for those who know me, to this day, I always have a cup of coffee in my hand, and during residency I probably drank even more coffee than I do now (hey, I had to survive residency). One day, I stumble into this little lady's room to pre round and of course I had my coffee. She quietly and with a huge smile on her face handed me a note and told me, "Dr. Pickett, you have to read this." Of course, I could not deny this smiling face her request. On the note, she had written about 7 times... "I will not drink so much coffee". Followed with a note at the bottom that said, "read this everyday". I instantly burst our laughing, she started laughing and in her Jamaican accent told me she was worried because I alway seemed to be drinking what I like to call the nectar of the gods. I sat with her for a while just chatting until I had to get back to my pre rounding. I mean, hey, it was already 5:30 am and I had to be ready by 6. In case you are wondering, I still have that note!!!
I was fortunate enough to take care of her intermittently for the 3 years of residency (depending on what rotation I was on), getting to know her and her family better with every encounter. Needless to say, they were some of my favorite people I have EVER had the pleasure of meeting. After finishing residency I was fortunate enough to spend a year as chief resident. Sounds impressive but it actually is a year more as an administrator, educator, and babysitter to other residents. (yeah, I was the one who had to deny resident's requests for time off to attend dog birthday parties....yeah you read correctly, some residents would request time off for their dog's Bday!!! C'MON MAN.....this is residency).
I was almost done with my chief year when someone told me that this young girl's mother was asking if I was in the hospital. As it turned out my favorite patient, the one who approached her illness with nothing but optimism and smiles, had succumbed to her illness. Her mother was asking if I could come to the bedside since I was one of the child's favorites. Once I heard (I actually just now got chills, thinking about it), I immediately went to her room. When I arrived, mom was standing next to the bed with her hand resting on her daughter's forehead. As she saw me enter the room, she wrapped me in the most meaningful hug I think I've ever received. We said nothing; sometimes silence is best. We sat in silence next to this young girl's bed where she lay deceased. After a while, we began reminiscing about the past 3 1/2 years. The laughter we shared, the struggles when she was really sick, the promise of optimism. The mother mentioned to me, that I had a lot to do with her child's approach to illness. That, even when I was on a different rotation, this girl alway was asking about me and when I'd be back on the heme/onc service. Honestly, I was touched beyond words to feel that at such an early point in my career I was already able to touch an entire family so positively. We sat together for about one hour before I had to go. Her mom, again, thanking the entire healthcare team for all that we had done to try to save her baby girl.
To see this young girl, laying on the bed with no life in her I began to reflect. Despite all that life had thrown at her, she always was upbeat, she never gave up, and she was more worried about my coffee intake than her next round of chemo. Then, I think of everything that I hear everyone complaining about. The list is too long to start naming the infinite amount of things that adults whine, complain, and fester about, but you can only imagine.
This girl, suffering a life threatening disease, had a large part of her face removed, and constantly suffering the painful effects of chemotherapy, KEPT SMILING!!! SHE FREAKING KEPT SMILING.
So I want to put you all to task to stop and think before you complain, before you replace your smile with a frown, or before you are rude to others. Think about this 7 year old Jamaican girl and how she approached life and ultimately the disease that ended her life prematurely. Think about how good you actually do have it despite how bad things may appear. It can ALWAYS be worse. That being said, have a blessed day. I hope I inspire a smile or two, some kindness to others, and perhaps the realization, that things are not that bad.
Have a great day and remember....These are Just One Man's Thoughts
One Love,
Ant
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Trying to resurrect this BLOG
Good afternoon all,
I have decided to resurrect this BLOG. I started it years ago but due to a variety of reasons (mainly my crazy work schedule) I've slipped on keeping it going (feel free to browse prior posts from way back when). With recent events in the world, US, and the lovely city where I reside, I've decided I need to find a place to vent my frustrations and attempt to give my own opinions on things. Do not fret, it will not be intended to force feed you my beliefs or try to sway your opinion to fall in line with mine. I feel there will be a therapeutic release for myself as I can get some of my thoughts out of my mind and down on paper (hahaha, paper, who uses that anymore).
I must say, I'm kind of educated, and have been blessed with quite a variety of life experiences that I hope will allow me to at least touch some part of anyone who reads my li'l ole posts. Also, I WILL include my cooking adventures to help anyone looking for tips, recipes, advice, etc. as it relates to home cooking. I am not a trained chef but have been baptized by the Food Channel religion. I trained under the expertise of Emeril Lagase, Alton Brown, Bobby Flay, Tyler Florence and a host of other sermons aired on their shows.
Anyhow, welcome back and I hope that any and all of you that read my posts walk away from the computer/Phone, smiling, laughing, nodding or scratching your head thinking "he has a point". The most important thing to remember, as I am aware of the ignorance that runs rampant in our society and the internet courage that makes people feel they can write/say/treat others in heinous ways, is that if you don't agree with what I write, chill the F$&* out. These are Just One Man's Thoughts.
Have a great day and take time to smile, open the door for someone, say "excuse me", you know, the things that people used to do ALL the time in the past.
One Love,
Anthony
PS: I plan on adding the #Ellen to all my new posts......I'll explain why in a later post:-)
I have decided to resurrect this BLOG. I started it years ago but due to a variety of reasons (mainly my crazy work schedule) I've slipped on keeping it going (feel free to browse prior posts from way back when). With recent events in the world, US, and the lovely city where I reside, I've decided I need to find a place to vent my frustrations and attempt to give my own opinions on things. Do not fret, it will not be intended to force feed you my beliefs or try to sway your opinion to fall in line with mine. I feel there will be a therapeutic release for myself as I can get some of my thoughts out of my mind and down on paper (hahaha, paper, who uses that anymore).
I must say, I'm kind of educated, and have been blessed with quite a variety of life experiences that I hope will allow me to at least touch some part of anyone who reads my li'l ole posts. Also, I WILL include my cooking adventures to help anyone looking for tips, recipes, advice, etc. as it relates to home cooking. I am not a trained chef but have been baptized by the Food Channel religion. I trained under the expertise of Emeril Lagase, Alton Brown, Bobby Flay, Tyler Florence and a host of other sermons aired on their shows.
Anyhow, welcome back and I hope that any and all of you that read my posts walk away from the computer/Phone, smiling, laughing, nodding or scratching your head thinking "he has a point". The most important thing to remember, as I am aware of the ignorance that runs rampant in our society and the internet courage that makes people feel they can write/say/treat others in heinous ways, is that if you don't agree with what I write, chill the F$&* out. These are Just One Man's Thoughts.
Have a great day and take time to smile, open the door for someone, say "excuse me", you know, the things that people used to do ALL the time in the past.
One Love,
Anthony
PS: I plan on adding the #Ellen to all my new posts......I'll explain why in a later post:-)
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