The Buddhist Family Christmas Letter

Close friends of ours have a son who is in graduate school to earn his advanced degree in Buddhist Studies. I have changed the name of the student but have recreated the family Christmas letter.

"The last time Joshua had a grip on reality occured when he was beginning high school and agreed to eat a plate of pancakes, even though one pancake had a clearly visible blueberry protruding from it's edge. For the last year and a half, Joshua has been living on the upper west side of Manhattan while taking courses in Tibetan, Sanskrit, and Buddhism, and earning an A+ on his recently published paper, entitled, 'If There is No Reality, How Can There Be Reality Shows?'. To create the illusion that he is earning money, he has been moon-lighting as a Buddhist country and western song writer. His most recent song, 'Take This Reality and Shove It' promises to be a big hit in the Red states and with his mother although she encouraged him to change the title of the song to 'Take This Reality and Maybe Don't Think About It So Much' in order not to offend anyone. Joshua's father feels that the song title should be changed to, 'You Can Take Your Reality and Shove It, But Keep Your Hands Off Mine'.

Reprinted without permission (but I'm sure it's okay). 2009

Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight Times.

"In dealing with disappointment we build strength and character. How we approach life's disappointments is just as important as the victories, and it occurred to me in Kona that maybe the two aren't so different after all. We humans like to label things as "good" and "bad." In reality, there is just stuff that happens, and we must deal with it. There is no intrinsic positive or negative value to events, only to our own interpretations."

Ironman Triathlete Samantha McGlone

In 2003, I completed the Ironman triathlon in Lake Placid, New York. I crossed the finish line after swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles and running 26.2 miles 15 hours and 20 minutes after the race began at 7am. Racing from 7am to almost 10:30pm is a humbling experience and when I say 'racing' this means going as fast as I could go even if it was a slow walk at times. The Ironman triathlon is the premier distance event in the world. Those months spent training and sacrificing the time and energy to get to the starting line, compete and ultimately finish the race constitute one of my best achievements. This race offers the chance for an athletic 'nobody' to toe the line and compete with some of the finest athletes in any sport. It is a chance to achieve a level of personal gratification that goes beyond almost any other accomplishment I have attempted. Finishing the Ironman was my finest moment as a 'nobody athlete'.

Special olympic athletes, wheelchair athletes, athletes racing in memory of their loved ones, for fund raising or racing toward their personal recovery from an illness such as cancer bring a whole new dimension to sport and competition. The photo you see above is of a brave Ironman triathlete named Jon Blais from Seekonk, Mass. Jon raced the Ironman in Kona, Hawaii in 2005 and finished his race in the most memorable way possible, he rolled his body across the finish line and was met by his sobbing mother and father waiting for him at the end of the race. You can watch the You Tube video of his amazing story at the Ironman World Championships by clicking on; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Vrjp2P0GlE. Bring a box of kleenex and prepare to watch a true athletic hero race and complete the premier endurance event in the world while suffering from Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Jon passed away from ALS on May 27, 2007 and while he is missed dearly by those close to him, his spirit and the lessons he has taught us all live on. Jon always believed in ending your story with a quote. Others have already said it best, so it's better to remember those and go out strong. So here goes… “The meaning of life is to live life”.

http://www.alswarriorpoet.com/

Happy New Year From the Boss

I want to take a moment to wish my wonderful office staff at Dartmouth Medical a Happy New Year. Dallas Leonard, NP has been practicing at Dartmouth for over a year and I am so gratified to rely on her judgement and clinical acumen in the care of our patients. It is one of the joys of my life to be able to work with each of the staff members every day. I appreciate all of the staff for your insight, observations and opinions regarding the running of the practice and each of you brings a different perspective to your jobs. It is often revealing for me to sit at the nurses desk or to look out the reception window and imagine what it must be like to come to work each day. In this way, I am able to help solve the problems you may encounter, reaffirm and protect our valuable office culture and move the practice forward.

As always, our office will face new challenges and growth in this new year. I hope to be the best manager that I can be and to steward the practice wisely in the coming year.

Very Special Thanks:

The Saturday and support providers; Deb Bradford, NP, Leslie Stefanowicz, NP, Dr. Christiansen and Dr. Cummings have all done wonderful work this past year. Thank you! We welcome our new phlebotomist, Roberta from U Mass Lab. Thanks to the computer support team; Think Tech, our office consultants; Michelle Gerez, Kelly Walsh at Affusion Group, Corrigan Financial and Paradigm Consulting. Many thanks to Brian Chisholm, CPA from Kane and Kane who manages all of our finances, John Bentley, Esq. who looks after our legal questions. Thanks also to the area pharmacies who help our patients and to the medical specialists in our area who are so accomodating when we need them. Special thanks to the local ambulance companies, St. Anne's Pain Management Center and to the ER staff and physicians at St. Anne's, St. Lukes, and Charlton Memorial Hospitals. Our work every day with our patients requires a vast network of professionals and support staff in southern Massachusetts.

I wish all of you and your families a happy, healthy and safe New Year!

Healthier Longer Life.org

The New England Journal of Medicine published a review article this month on a new website called, Healthier Longer Life (http://healthierlongerlife.org/). The premise of the article is to bring public awareness to a comprehensive wellness and disease prevention information project which has been published by Drs. Carl Bartecchi and Robert Schrier. Their 224 page book can be downloaded free of charge from their website.

The book was distributed in bound form to 60,000 households in Colorado. One of the goals of the project was to try and engage the general population and to "have patients share in decision making about their health care which has been shown to improve patient adherence to prevention guidelines, increasing their satisfaction with the outcome of the clinical treatment or both."

The Journal article goes on to explain that the Internet has been a mixed blessing as "many patients are confused by the contradictory advice retrieved when they enter a search term on Google or Yahoo. Authoritative sources are critically important, and this book is an important addition to Web sites such as the one sponsored by the U.S Preventive Services Task Force."

I will be ordering a copy and reviewing it. At less than $5.00 per copy it might be just the thing to place in each examining room in my office instead of Field and Stream magazine.

Excerpt:
When discussing the risk of heart attacks, the authors note;
"For those who might wonder what a person with low risk factors would look like, here is an example. The ideal is a person between the ages of 35 and 74 who has:
1. Systolic blood pressure less than 120.
2. Diastolic blood pressure less than 80.
3. LDL cholesterol less than 100 mg/dl.
4. HDL cholesterol higher than 60 mg/dl.
5. Fasting glucose level less than 110 mg/dl.
6. Never smoked.
7. Reached the ideal weight.
8. Regularly exercises."

Thoughts for Fathers of Young Children

When you kiss your daughter good night and she looks up at you and asks you to tell her a story from your own childhood before she closes her eyes,
What do you remember?

When your little son looks up from his morning cereal and wants to know how fast you could run when you were his age,
What do you remember?

In the lifetime before house payments and bills, the nightly news and the morning alarm clock there was a time when the world was different. In the years before you 'grew up' it was easier to tell jokes, to laugh and to make friends. Being a kid was the best thing ever.

A squished bug was almost as good as a lightning bug.

The outcome of a baseball game was a matter of life or death.

You thought you would throw up when you sneaked a puff on your grandfather’s cigar.

Staying clean was the last thing on your mind.

Everything was funny. Everything.

Summer vacation really lasted a whole year.

Mosquito bites itched less.

Sissy bars weren’t for sissy’s.

Toads did give you warts…and you could prove it.

Gum wasn't just for chewing.

Nobody wore bike helmets or seat belts.

Heroes were everywhere and they always won.

Santa Clause really did leave footprints in the snow on the roof of your house on Christmas Eve and you did hear the jingling of sleigh bells deep in the snowy night one year.

So the next time your young son or daughter looks up and asks you to tell them a story about your childhood, remember how you felt when the world was larger, funnier, scarier and just plain better than it is now.

Make sure to tell them all about it.

Don’t leave anything out.

Being Mr. Edwards

One of the finest episodes in the history of television aired in December of 1974. That was the year that the Wilder family from 'Little House on the Prairie' recieved a visit on a stormy Christmas Eve from a gruff but lovable frontiersman named, Mr. Edwards. America was drawn to the story of this family struggling to survive as settlers moving west in search of land and opportunity.
As the story unfolds during that Christmas episode we learn that the Wilder family is facing every parent's bad dream; Christmas without the hope of providing toys for their children. The children sense their parents poverty and the family gets prepared to tell the children that Santa Clause must have missed them during the storm. Things will get better next year and besides, the kids will understand. They always do.
Meanwhile, in the howling wind and snow of the worst blizzard the West had ever experienced, a lonely figure trudges on foot from the nearest town through the forest. He is bundled up in a large coat and has a wide brimmed hat pulled low over his face to keep out the cold and ice whipping through the air. He comes to a freezing river and is almost foiled in his attempt to reach his destination but decides to take off his overcoat and clothes and wade through the icy water to reach the other side. Mr. Edwards stumbles into the Wilder cabin nearly unconcious, suffering from hypothermia and collapses in front of the fire.
The family rushes to revive him and he is saved by the heat of the fire and the glow of warmth from the Wilder children. Mr. Edwards explains that he met Santa Clause in town who asked him to deliver the Christmas gifts to the Wilder children this year because the storm was too severe. Ma and Pa Wilder have looks of joyful astonishment on their faces as they realize what a Christmas miracle this friendly, rough hewn neighbor has unselfishly performed for their children.
In that moment, on that night in 1974, Americans all over the country were reminded of what it was to be a true hero and to step up to engage a crisis, risking personal safety for the benefit of another. Soldiers, firemen, police officers, parents of sick children and millions of regular people are heroes every day to the poor, the desparate and the underpriviledged. This story was told to us in the simplest possible terms. Without any Hollywood glitz or glamor, with carefully scripted characters, a compelling score and a plain storyline, Mr. Edwards displayed the humanity and humility we all hope to achieve for others in our own lifetimes. On that winter's night in the little cabin on the prairie, a humble man without a family of his own earned his angel's wings by giving the gift of Christmas magic to children in need.

Jimmy Buffet's Christmas Gift

"If you are looking for perfect safety, you will do well to sit on a fence and watch the birds."

Wilbur Wright, 1901

Someday I'm going to get me an ultralight airplane. I really wanted at least a Citation jet like Lance Armstrong and Sheryl Crow rented to go on vacation to France once but that seems a little out of range at this stage in my life. Besides, I'm getting a little older and have to think about my future. This is why an ultralight plane would be perfect. It's cheap, almost anyone can fly one (so I hear) and even if you crash, you are usually on a grassy field going only about 23 miles an hour.

I've got my retirement all planned out. When I'm about 78 years old I'll sell our Toyota Prius for about a million dollars, my wife and I will move to Arizona (where it's warm) and we will both get ultralight planes and raise sheep. Then we can wake up every morning and strap into our planes and buzz the sheep (you know...to give 'em some exercise). Then after a few hours of sheep buzzing we will land somewhere and have a picnic lunch on the high desert and meet up with all of our friends who have their own ultralight planes and play a pick up game of basketball. Then the whole lot of us will get into our planes and fly to a nearby lake and go swimming. After this we will find a place to camp out and start a really big bonfire and have loads of laughs just like all those people do in the Michelob commercials (except we will be 78 years old). There will be just me and my wife with about 200 of our close personal friends. Our kids will be busy with their kids and taking care of their multi million dollar mansions and flying their own ultralights. They keep wanting to borrow our sheep but we think they should get their own. Besides our sheep are tired out!

The next morning we will fly over the football stadium of the Arizona Cardinals in our ultralights and yell down to the team as they practice. Now that we live in Arizona, we don't expect them to win much but they need encouragement. Then some of our friends will have to go home and take their medication and have a nap but not me and my wife! We will be leaving our ultralights at the airport and hopping onto a private jet that belongs to our close personal friend, Jimmy Buffet and going off to a private island in the Caribbean for a huge tequila party with all the NFL cheerleaders and a few retired Academy Award Winners and Nobel Prize recipients. Then once the jet takes off, Jimmy will lean over across the aisle and ask me if I would do him a big favor and accept his Citation jet as a gift because he has three other planes. I would say, "Well..." then I would give my wife in the next seat a high five and accept his gift with the condition that we could come to his private island any time we wanted. Of course Jimmy would say "yes" and then invite me to play onstage with him at his next concert in Jamaica. My wife could be my roadie and back up singer and would wear a grass skirt with a fruity hat (so she would fit in with the locals).

By that time I'm 78 in our world, there will be peace on earth and there will be no poor people, prisons, pets being put to sleep or children in hospitals or pollution. And, best of all medical science will have come up with a pill that allows you to live forever at whatever age you choose.

I just love Christmas time.

I think I'll have my new Citation jet painted fire engine red.