To my loyal readers (of which there are few), I apologize for the long hiatus. Intern year has flown by quickly. It has been an extremely busy but rewarding year. Sometimes the only way to get through it is to consume yourself in it, live and breath it, with all its long hours, the off days, the reading. During the doldrums that accompany the winter, the rain, and the inevitable burnout, I have survived possibly by plowing through the months, commiserating the days and hours with my fellow cohorts and the few friends I have been fortunate to meet outside of work. However, several big events have prompted me to further self-reflect and that leads to this. One, is that I finally had a vacation-- the first since my Thanksgiving vacation. In retrospect, it was too long a wait for vacation-- though I managed to survive the winter relatively intact, I too, was running on fumes by the time it had come around. Vacation itself was spent with friends, family. While relaxing, also led to anxiety and self-doubt about my actual progression through the year. Two, is that my cousin Viv was married last weekend, prompting a trip (not on vacation) to Vancouver and family reunion. The fact that it was first one on that side of the family and involved my eldest cousin made it of even more significance. Three, a close and special friend will be leaving Portland soon; a person who to me has shaped my first year in Portland significantly outside the hospital. And Four, tonight was a celebration of Dr. Cooney, our venerated program director who stepped down after 20+ years as the leader of the OHSU residency program.
Why these milestones in my life have all occurred at once, I have no idea. For several weeks I have been pondering the significance of the fact that life is happening all around us, despite our best efforts (misguided) to separate it out of our medicine work, especially intern year. Dr. Cooney summed up my personal feelings and questions best tonight w/ a remark "Life happens when you make plans." Dr. Cooney's dinner tonight brought it all together; the celebration of a person's academic achievements cannot be separated from the personal achievements. His work as program director touched so many people from colleagues, to residents, and of course, his patients. As one of the residents who probably know Dr. Cooney the least in terms of years knowing him, I can still say that he's already influenced me in so many ways, as a teacher, a role model physician, a leader, and a mentor and friend. Lofty descriptions but these are all apt. A living legend who continues to exude energy and passion that is extremely motivating and inspirational for a young physician trying to make a mark. Its a feeling that excites me about medicine and why I love this career.
