Hummm, where to begin...
Butt-Boy and I are still going out so I guess, considering most of my dating adventures end before the 1 month mark, I could count that as my new thing. But never fear, I have many more stories to regale you with!
I have such a plethora for stories to choose from I am finding it hard to decide... I guess I will go with 2 separate stories:
Story 1- Work+Party+Drinking= Awkward moments with a board member.
So, the organization I work for throws a fundraising party each year in April. This year we revamped everything and it actually turned out pretty darn good! We had live music, food, and the always awesome alcohol (btw- I still haven't finished that bottle of Arbor Mist...). I of course was running around like a crazy woman making sure everything went off with as little hitch as possible. I speed from room to room so often, the security guys knew me by sight within the first 5 minutes.
For the sake of fully understanding the awkward humor of this story I need to break here and let you know that one of our board members is not only a total flirt (in an annoying way) but also looks like Jesus. I mean, he seriously looks like Jesus. Right down to the semi long hair and semi grown in beard...
Anyway back to the story. Because I was working I didn't have anything to drink, however, that did not stop my coworkers (or board members) from partaking. Which is fine and dandy... until you have a board member say he loves you. Que awkward silence and crickets... He said it in a jovial manner, but with just a little to little humor behind it to give the whole exchange a super weird vibe. I just laughed it off and ran off to do more work, but man... talk about overstepping professional boundaries...
Story 2- Finding a Mentor and a Silver Lining
I finally had the opportunity to meet with the physician who has been such an inspiration to me as I search for a way to practice medicine in a humane way. It was truly amazing to see her work. She wasn't scared of her patients. What a novel idea.
I spent 4 hours with her and in that time she saw 3 patients. 3. When I shadowed the orthopedic surgeon, he saw 20 in that same time frame. Sitting in her office, the plush teal carpet beneath my feet and a comfortable over stuffed futon couch at my back, I could see why her patients liked coming here. The scent of nature (wooded incense?) hung lightly in the air and the lighting was a muted yellow that highlighted the large canvass painting of a serene ocean scene. I instantly wondered if my blood pressure would test lower here than at my doctor's office- I always test a little higher than normal when I go to see the doctor because of the anxiety I feel in the doctors office. Something about the smell of sterilized bodily fluids and florescent lighting puts me on edge.
Each patient who met me couldn't say enough good things about Dr. W. They raved about her and stressed the importance of me (and others like me) carrying on her work. They told stories of how they came to be her patient and why it is so imperative that the medical environment be changed.
Patients want this. They want a physician they can talk to as they would a friend. And physicians want this. They want to care about their patients. Yet somehow we continue to go around in this dysfunctional cycle. But after seeing Dr. W, I have hope. Hope that perhaps we are on the cusp of change. Of something big that will bring back the idea that we should treat the whole patient (mind, body, spirit). It will be a revolution that changes how we treat each other and I definitely know which side I am rooting for. :-)
