Medical Treatment vs. Medical Care

On my slow, snowy drive into work this morning, I tuned my radio to NPR and caught an interesting story about a young medical doctor and a very ill but strong-willed gentleman who had refused medical treatment for 20 years.



A quote toward the program's conclusion: "To be willing to follow your patient to where they want to go is an uncomfortable journey, and it changed me forever," [Dr. Suzanne Michell] says.



She's no longer afraid, she adds, "to allow my patients to take me on their journey. Whatever expertise we have, the patient holds the wisdom of their life. And we need to be with our patients — really be with them."


Regardless of individual beliefs on medical care, everyone deserves to be treated with dignity. And, as we all check out at some point - the opportunity for a dignified death.


Check out the full story here.  

Wanderlust

One recurring thought dominates my mind.

TRAVEL.

In 200 days, I am going somewhere.  Somewhere  I have never been before.   By myself, possibly.  Must explore the world, one corner at a time.

"All grown-ups were once children. . ."

Received a Christmas delivery from Los Angeles, where someone special resides.  Included was a gift to a child.  In the author's foreward, he writes,

". . . I will dedicate the book to the child from whom this grown-up grew.  All grown-ups were once children--although few of them remember it . . ."

And a passage:

"I am thirsty for this water," said the little prince. "Give me some of it to drink..."

And I understood what he had been looking for.

I raised the bucket to his lips. He drank, his eyes closed. It was as sweet as some special festival treat. This water was indeed a different thing from ordinary nourishment. Its sweetness was born of the walk under the stars, the song of the pulley, the effort of my arms. It was good for the heart, like a present.  When I was a little boy, the lights of the Christmas tree, the music of the Midnight Mass, the tenderness of smiling faces, used to make up so, the radiance of the gifts I received."

What a very special book. 

White Christmas

 Green WHITE CHRISTMAS.

Happy Solstice!

Today is the winter solstice - the shortest day of the year.  This marks a season for renewal, for intention setting and breaking from habits of the brighter, longer days. 


Animals hibernate; we might learn from them and take this time for rest.  


What is your intention for the year?  What bad habit will you shed?

Why Do They...?

Why is it that in modern American films, foreign characters are sometimes portrayed as English-speaking with a British accent?  It's like, authenticity is not in the budget, so instead we'll go with a commonly-spoken language with a British twist for worldliness.  I can't say it makes total sense, 


but I also can't come up with a better alternative.

Thoughts While Driving

Last night, after work, I drove to my destination.  Passed a park.  The path I was on - it was a road to me.  To the deer, it was a crossing.  


To the people before us, it was a forest.
  
To the people before them, 
who knows?

Retro, big-city feel at The Bookstore.

It's easy to draw comparisons between today and the 1920s.  The economy, anyone?  And if nothing else, there is one constant, no matter what the economy is doing.  In the best of times and the worst of times, people want to drink. 



And we do.



So why not indulge at a place that is a throwback to the jazz age?  The Bookstore Speakeasy on Adams is so close to days past that when you check the time, you'll want to check the date too.  Here's why the place is so clever:



Hidden elements. 
The main entrance is so nondescript that it would function as a side door at any other establishment.  Painted in utilitarian font: THE BOOKSTORE.  Upon entering, one will find himself in a bookstore.  Then asked for identification and ushered behind a curtain.  



Take one step, and you've gone back in time.  It is a speakeasy, entirely lit by candles.  Take a seat.  The menus are hidden inside of books.  From these menus, you'll make selections from a list of signature cocktails, rare beers, cheese and small plates menus.  Pay special attention to the signature cocktails.  All of them are from the 1920s. 



Atmosphere.
The place is full of vintage furnishings and the walls, as far as I detect, are genuine Victorian-era colors.  At your table, enjoy your company amid the light of oil candles.  The buzz of conversation is interrupted only by the occasional flaring trumpet.  The house band plays every weekend.  The bandleader is a gem: he plays the piano like a player piano, fingers jumping on the keys.  He sings into a megaphone for volume.  He plays the trumpet too.  He's accompanied by a tuba player and a guitarist.  And, of course, they're all dressed the parts and are playing 80 year old songs.



As for your drinks: the ice is hand-chipped - so you won't find it crushed or cubed.  The bartenders and waitstaff are dressed in black and white.  The atmosphere is warm, encouraging you to wear your best dress. 



No, you won't find today's frills.  Instead, you'll find yesterday's treasures.  One can't help but be a character here.  Before tonight, a place like this existed only in a daydream.



http://www.thebookstorespeakeasy.com/