"The Questions We Ask"

One of my own recent adventures. Glacier Peak, WA.

I really like this short film. Saw it last winter during the Banff Mountain Film Festival tour. I thought I might tell you a few reasons I like this film, but, it speaks for itself.

"The Questions We Ask"

Or, you could watch it on vimeo where it is bigger and prettier :)

The Year of Jubilee

This is a blog post I came across earlier today. How a TED talk inspired me to take a mid-career sabbatical. You should read it. I'm great at advertising, and that's my promotional plug. Winston Chen writes about how he decided to take a year off and moved to the Arctic Circle to spend more time with family, develop his hobbies, and he ends up finding a whole new passion for a new work. Stefan Sagmeister, in the original TED talk, speaks of how he takes a break from his job every seven years to rejuvenate his creativity for his job. I've heard several different variations on this idea of "taking a year off." You're probably wondering why I'm already thinking about taking a break from working when I haven't even started yet - I'm not. But this seemed like kind of a good idea.

Didn't the Biblical Israelites take a Year of Jubilee every seven years? Well, that's how I remembered it, but when I looked it up, it was actually every 49 years, but you know... same thing. During this Year of Jubilee, they didn't plant or harvest, they lived off their savings - or God's blessings, really. All debts were forgiven and slaves returned to their families. Seems like a pretty good year.

So I was thinking about what my version of this idea would look like. I probably wouldn't take a year off to just be creative or develop some hobbies. My ESTJ personality needs a little more structure than that. And I probably won't return my slaves. I do, however, think it's important to maintain your creativity and find new passions throughout the years. And I certainly plan to continue educating myself in the career of physical therapy, because that's important, interesting, and... ethical. But what if every seven years, I took a year off from making a serious income, and spent the year "off the grid" using my skills in physical therapy in new areas, maybe helping develop new physical therapy clinics in other countries... something. Maybe this is a little bit ambitious, maybe not. It's just a thought. But I think this year of change and growth is a good idea.

I guess I should get back to studying, since I do need to pass boards to actually start working.

cutest patient award

Right now I'm working in neuro physical therapy, seeing about 50% adults, 50% pediatrics. I love it. People might actually get tired of hearing about how much I love what I am doing right now. I have the best teachers who are so good at what they do and are great mentors. And I have the most wonderful patients.

One of my patients is a five year old boy with leukemia who then developed a spinal cord injury, and is now paralyzed from the legs down.

He is probably the cutest kid you will ever meet. Most of his words start with an "n", so that "I need my walker" becomes "Ni need ni nalker." Adorable. He has such a positive outlook and is so happy. When I first met him in therapy, we would get him out of his wheelchair into a standing frame and drive him around building and spin circles outside. Now, we're putting him in his "armor" or reciprocating gait orthosis and teaching him how to walk again. It is thrilling and fulfilling.

As we got him standing by himself for the first time, he watched himself in the mirror, practically holding his breath with the biggest grin on his face. When he finally lost his balance he burst into giggles, saying, "I was trying to hold in my laughter!!" 

When I compare him to some adults who lose their ability to walk, his cheerful attitude certainly puts a different spin on "You must must become like children to enter the kingdom of heaven" Bible verse. For him, it is just another exciting adventure.

One day I was sitting at the edge of the mat with my arm around him so he didn't tip over, and my clinical instructor sat on the other side of him. All of a sudden, he looked to his mom with the most horrified look on his face. He had just realized he was sitting in between two girls. He states that he has two girlfriends. When he discovers that my clinical instructor is engaged, he says, "What?! No! I'm gonna find him and knock him over and say, 'You can't take my girl!'" 

Two days later as we walked down the hall together, my five year old's mother reminded him of a conversation they had had before coming to therapy... "Now you remember what we talked about earlier, right? That it's ok to have girls who are your friends, but you can't have girlfriends. Because (my clinical instructor) is old enough to be your mom and she's already taken. And remember, you said you were okay with that?" My patient replied ever so cutely, "No, I understand it, but I'm not okay with it."

This kid is maybe my favorite. When he's not threatening to run me over and turn me into a pancake, he's coming to find me in another gym to shoot me down with the button on his Buzz Lightyear jacket.

Some things are out of my control.

View from my popsicle stick garden.

Yesterday I went to a Parkinson's support group. It was one of the most positive experiences of late. My clinical instructor leads out for every other monthly meeting, so this was my first time. Parkinson's patients and spouses, caregivers and therapists, we all sat around a table of fruit - sharing experiences...things that work and things that don't, exercises, medication balances, and sources of motivation.

Not to mention that my favorite professor from PT school spoke at the end of the meeting, and I may or may not have a pretty big crush on him. Side note.

One recurring theme that came up a number of times was the aspect of being on a schedule. As a person with Parkinson's takes dopamine, they begin to have periods of on- and off-times. During on-times the medication is more effective in controlling the motor symptoms and during off-times the person becomes very stiff, slow and may even be unable to move. People began to speak to how living on a schedule was helpful in controlling the on- and off-times. One lady stated, "Sometimes I stay up later than I should because it's quiet and I can get more stuff done. But it's never good in the long-term because it just throws me off in the days that follow."

And that really struck a chord with me because I've been trying to adhere to a pretty strict schedule myself. For the past 1.5 years, I've had difficulty with migraines. Right now I have about 20 migraines per month. I've been on 8 different preventative medications, not counting the meds I take when I get a migraine. I still haven't found a good solution, but I have found gastric reflux, night sweats, appetite and weight loss, insomnia, nausea and vomiting, rebound headaches, and much more in the side effects of these meds. And so I do everything else in my power to control the situation by drinking lots of water, restricting certain foods, getting plenty of exercise, eating at regular times, and going to bed and waking up at the same time. That last one is the hardest for me and I'm not very good about sticking to it. I'm already an old person by nature - I love going to bed early - but I hate it when there are fun things going on and I want to stay up. People tease me for going to bed early, and it's all well-meaning and I joke about it too, but it's hard.

It was good for me to hear that other people have the same struggles. Their lives are scheduled by a disease. They would prefer to live it another way. But they pick up and move forward, and they do so gratefully.

I wanted to hang on to their positivity. Because on this journey I've got no better choice.

Migraines out of control, life scheduled... I'm grateful for you, friends and family, while I look for the control.

Here's to a new year!

... A year filled with lots of learning, good bike rides, graduation, new gardening projects, passing boards, quality men (or maybe even the singular version), traveling adventures, a first job and a first paycheck.

I bought a new bike saddle today; it felt like home. I don't know if that's really an appropriate way to describe a comfy seat, but after months of searching... that's the first thing that came to mind.

Today was also my first day with a new clinical instructor and at the end of the day, she gave me a hug. The next three months are gonna be GOOD.

The Sociable.

According to Wikipedia, this side-by-side tandem bike is not just any bike; it's a Sociable. These bikes used to be made for courting - it was a socially acceptable way for a gentleman to be in close proximity to a woman. Score.

This bike was my grandpa's, and I recently brought it down to southern California. Today my friend Alexis and I rode it to class. Talk about being the spotlight of attention in Loma Linda. We had everyone out riding it in the parking lot of the Market and I even got one of my professors to ride it with me. Definitely a highlight. My grandpa would have been proud.

 

 

 

Blessed.

I've got to pause and just take note of how blessed I've been lately. God is working in a major way in my life right now, and I am excited to see what He has in store. I don't usually stop to talk about how God is working in me and for me, but maybe I should more often. The last few months, I've let busyness take priority, but I recently let God back into his rightful place - and the difference is phenomenal.

I nearly decided to move back to the Northwest in March for my last clinical rotation, but after a lot of consideration, chats, and prayer... The timing does not seem right, and I will be staying in Southern CA for a bit longer. It pains me to say it actually, but I won't get stuck here!

I recently made the mistake of giving a professor a piece of my mind - not the smartest choice on my part, since she is the one who decides where we go for our rotations. I figured I was doomed for my last rotation - that I'd be commuting an hour and a half or something. But miracle of miracles, almost everyone ahead of me on the pick list decided to "special-request" a location not on the list, leaving me with an internship at the VA hospital. The VA happens to be two blocks away from my house!

A few days later, I found out the VA is also a PAID internship. This is a huge blessing for me right now.

In other news, yesterday I passed my Advanced Orthopaedics course, which leaves just one more didactic hurdle and two clinical rotations before graduation in June. I cannot wait for that day.

God is good.