Eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon’s letter to the editor of The New York Sun in 1897 is timeless. “Please tell me the truth. Is there a Santa Claus?” she asked. Her letter is based in hope, and a belief in something that can’t be seen. Francis P. Church, the Sun’s editor, assured Virginia: “He exists as certainly as love and generosity and […]
This past summer, in a blog I wrote about the importance of learning and working environments, I mentioned the recommendations from the Macy Foundation’s April conference, “Improving Environments for Learning in the Health Professions.” Amy Barton, a panelist at the Consortium’s own conference in June, was an invited participant at the Macy Foundation event. I […]
We’ve all had horrible days. In this longer-than-usual post, I’d like to share an extraordinary example of mentorship that was forwarded to me. Dr. Dan Wilensky responds electronically to a trainee who recently wrote in her online reflective journal about a particularly difficult day. Dan is a family practice physician, an active primary care provider […]
It is midnight dark. Streaks of light race across the sky. In mid-August, despite being a buffet for mosquitoes, I love to watch the Perseid meteor showers. The first time I experienced the magic of a “falling star” I was 5 or 6. I’ve been hooked ever since. It’s not too much of a stretch to say that’s also my […]
There was a flurry of activity through the sliding glass door. The embedded image captures the essence of what I saw, and what bird lover could complain? Dozens of orange-breasted barn swallows had alighted on the railing and floor of the deck just beyond my desk. They were busy. Exchanging one perch for another. Chirping […]
Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s CEO, spoke at an Amazon employee awards dinner in Berlin, Germany. As captured by the May 2018 Business Insider, his speech included this tidbit: “I get asked about work-life balance all the time. And my view is, that’s a debilitating phrase because it implies there’s a strict trade-off.” Bezos said that the relationship […]
You know those meetings where one person does all the talking? Might be a well-intentioned expert. Might be an opinionated know it all. For whatever reason the spark that fuels discussion just never happens. People get bored; they check their cell phones; respond to texts. It is painful for everyone. And then there are those […]
This is a season of promises made, promises kept, and of revisiting promises yet to be enacted. There is the promise of rebirth signified by the holiday season. There are New Year’s resolutions as we strive to do better. And it also a time to acknowledge what we do well and what we can build […]
My original opening for this blog was: The first snows have blanketed ski slopes. On the shoulders of the Rockies, the aspens are a bright yellow. In the folds of the Appalachians the fall mists welcome the morning. ‘Leaf peepers’ in the North East make seasonal treks to see shades of scarlet, orange, and russet […]
If you have read other blogs in this series, you know that I am frequently inspired by nature. The harvest moon was in full glory this past week, signaling farmers that it is time for harvest. Birds and butterflies are migrating south, individually and in sky-darkening flocks. Hurricanes are rampaging through warm waters. Each day […]
