“The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it.” In my line of work, which is palliative medicine, we are often the last one to come in contact with the patient. It should not be that way. There is a reason that the patients confuse our service with hospice. It is because we are asked right when what they really need is hospice type care. There is so much confusion regarding what our type of…
“It will happen to all of us that one day you’ll be tapped on the shoulder and told — not just that the party’s over– but slightly worse: the party’s going on, and you have to leave. That’s the reflection, I think, that most upsets people about their demise.” -Christopher Hitchens I don’t know about you, but I like nothing more than listening to this man speak. It doesn’t matter if you believe in his ideology or not (he was…
“Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better conditions.” -Hafez Happy Shab e Yalda! If you do not have a Persian heritage like I do, you would love to learn about this tradition. It falls on the Northern hemisphere’s winter solstice. It falls somewhere between December 20/21. You have to check with the stars to figure the actual date. Zoroastrian, the oldest monotheist religion known to man, used to believe that…
“Sisters: For me, there is no higher love.” I don’t know what your relationship with your siblings is like. I can tell you that I hope sooner rather than later you can come to terms with the relationship you have with your brother or sisters. There may be a chance that you are an only child. There may be a chance that you don’t even have a sister. I wish someone like that in your life (maybe a friend like…
“We cannot change the direction of the wind,But we can always adjust our sails.” I have often told you that one of the most beautiful parts of my job is to experience love and generosity. This is the love that is shared by the patient with their family. As well as the love of the family shared with the patient. Not talking about in situations where love exists already. I am talking about estranged children moving back to the islands…
“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” Mark Twain Has anyone been truly nice to you? For no reason, other than the fact that they chose to be that way. Have you been truly nice to others? For no reason at all. I often wonder why we are quick to criticise others yet somehow manage to embellish what we do. It must be human nature. Have you been to a funeral? Or watched…
We have all heard about the “Gratitude Journal”. This is not woo woo. It’s actual science showing us that keeping a daily journal thinking of three things in our life that we are grateful for actually has a direct positive effect on our well being. I will post something about the “Gratitude Letter” here after I have released my podcast on it, which is this Thanksgiving weekend. But have you heard about “Naikan Therapy?” I lived in Japan for 2…
You can’t lift two watermelons with one hand. Persian Proverb I love this proverb. It sounds comical but it’s implying that there will be times in life that you need help. You should ask for help. You cannot handle life alone. When I was living in Sacramento, my daughters’ Waldorf school was the opposite direction of my hospital. Dropping them off and heading back to work was almost an hour long ordeal. Realizing my work was only one mile from…
‘Wear Gratitude Like a CloakAnd It Will Feed Every Corner of Your Life.’ First of all, you should know that I am a very grateful person. Incidentally, as I type this, there are more than 1100 of you in my “Physicians Living Intentionally” group space, and the podcast that I just started a little while ago has been downloaded more than 2600 times, too. Countries all over the world. My heart is thankful. I am grateful for what you all…
“Make peace with the present moment.” Eckhart Tolle How are you feeling? People ask you that and then walk away. No one is really listening anymore. They say it to start a conversation. Well, I am asking now. How are you doing? It’s the day after the elections in the US. No matter who you voted for (I hope you voted for someone) no one feels like a winner today. I am not a neutral observer. I am not a…