GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WORK HARD FOR THEM!

Last year at the time time, Nicholas did not have an positive responses to his internship inquires. He was quite sad, but he quickly got over it and focused on making some money working at the Racquet Club down the road. 

He returned to campus ready to hit the ground running last fall. He was bear writer for the track and field team, then the women's basketball team. More recently, he has been assigned to the flagship team on campus, men's lacrosse while successfully competing for an assistant sports editor position. He is three for three on being named to the Dean's list, and he is beginning to cultivate relationships with professors and fellow student alike. All in all, he is thriving and making the most of what Syracuse and Newhouse have to offer.

Because of that, I was so happy for him to hear that he had been offered a paid internship at our local paper, the Ann Arbor News, a publication of the MLive media group. He will be working in news this summer. On the side, he will be helping the local soccer club, AFC Ann Arbor with public relations and game recaps and player profiles.

It is so wonderful to see this hard-working, curious driven young man hit his stride. I could not be more proud. Keep reaching for the stars, son!

A CARTOON A DAY KEEPS THE SADNESS AWAY

I have always loved comics and cartoons. For the past 25 years, I have been a Newyorker subscriber. Their cartoons are some of the best, and I know receive them in my Instagram feed.

This year, I have gotten in the habit of sharing them with friends and family - especially the lighthearted ones or those that capture the cringe-inducing things coming out of Washington. Invariably, sharing these elicits a chuckle in me and the recipients. It is one of the highlights of my day.

Enjoy this recent Easter funny!

WHAT I TALK ABOUT WHEN I TALK ABOUT RUNNING

I recently read Haruki Murakami's memoir, "What I talk about when I talk about running." It is hard to believe that I had not read this sooner since I love running and Murakami's novels including, "Norwegian Wood, " "Sputnik Sweetheart, " and "Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki" among others. Perhaps you saw the movie, "Drive My Car," based on one of his short stories? That film, which was about grief, loss, and human connection - despite all types of barriers, including language - blew me away.

Similarly, "What I think about..." was a magical book. Yes, it was about Murakmai's love of running and how he took up that pastime in his early 30s, some 30 years ago. However, it is more about a way of living resolutely. It is a reminder that there is great value in putting one foot in front of the other and never giving up. That he has run at least one marathon per year for the past 30 years is a testament and that he continues to write so well are the best expression of that philosophy.

I was reminded of my own marathon experience from New York some 21 years ago. I had trained hard for that day and was attempting to use my race time to qualify for the Boston Marathon. I needed to run 3:10:59 in order to qualify. I got off to an amazing start, running the first half in 1:38. However, my quads gave out after the halfway point. For the last nine or so miles, I had to use my shins and calves to push off the ground to propel me forward. I never considered quitting and finally crossed the finish line in a time of 3:46, well off my goal. 

Afterwards, I was plagued by pain in my shins anytime I ran. I was later diagnosed with chronic compartment syndrome and underwent fasciotomies on both legs. Afterwards, I could not run without pain for over two years, which was one of the hardest times in my life. Ultimately, my legs healed, and I decided to try running again when we moved to Portland. I settled for shorter distances and incorporated cross-training. The 5K - rather than the marathon - became my go-to race. 

Eventually, I set my sites on another goal that seemed similarly aspirational to my Boston qualifying time - a sub 20 minute 5K. In 2015, some 11 years after New York, I reached that goal finishing in 19:25 - a pace of 6:17 per mile and good enough for 26th overall!

I continue to run at least 5K per day, though I am doing less races these days. My favorite route is a loop through Gallup Park at dawn each morning well before the sun comes up, and I have been running this route since the pandemic - in rain, sleet, and snow (but not ice). Sometimes Cate joins me, which makes the run even more special. My daily run is as close as I come to zen each day.

At the end of each run, I gaze up the sky and raise my outstretched arms. I am not thanking anyone, in particular. Rather, I am reveling in the fact that I am still able to do the thing I love at the age of 51 and despite a lot of miles on these tires. That is what I talk about when I talk about running!

GO 'HILLS!

We are in the midst of high school soccer season, and it has been a delight to watch Cate play again!

Unlike with her club team, Cate plays farther back as a defensive midfielder. Despite this, she is very involved with the attack and has created some wonderful scoring opportunities for her teammates. Additionally, she has gotten in on the action and scored some amazing goals that fall into the category of rockets!

Here are two recent examples from the last week. Enjoy!

THE WHITE LOTUS

Season three of "The White Lotus" concluded last week. I had greatly enjoyed the last two seasons, but this one was particularly special. As usual, there were several groups of tourists who descended on a spectacular resort destination. Like past season, lives were lost, but the real drama was in the interactions of the guests with each other and with the resort staff and other locals. If the first season was about class, the second season was about status. This most reason season was about finding some measure of peace, which is so timely given the world we find ourselves in.

"The White Lotus" is not a world I recognize, but that does not prevent the show from winning you over and creating moments of real magic. 

If you have not seen the first two seasons, I suggest starting there. I cannot wait to see where the show's creator Mike White takes us next!

ABUNDANCE

One of my favorite podcasters and writers, Ezra Klein, and another favorite writer, Derek Thompson, have teamed up to write a very timely book that offers an antidote, or at least another path forward, versus Trump's and DOGE's burn it all down. Klein offers a defense of his vision in this podcast.

Rather than austerity and destruction, they advocate for abundance and growth. It is an inspiring vision for the future, and the offer many examples of government, Democratic and Republican alike, standing in the way of the future we need and the society we all imagine. It is a lack of will, structure, and implementation that stands in our way, and these authors provide some exceptional examples of how we have cut through these obstacles to deliver game-changing results. These examples include Operation Warp Speed and the COVID vaccines, the repair to the I-95 bridge in Pennsylvania that only took 12 days, and mass production of penicillin.

I particularly enjoyed their thoughts on possible reforms to the scientific enterprise, including the grant funding process.

I am not sure anyone in this administration will pick up this book, but you should!

THE PITT

The show, "E.R." first aired when I began medical school in 1994. It has always been one of my favorite shows because it captured the excitement of working in a fast-paced, high-stress environment. It was not until I completed my residency rotation in the E.R. in Parkland that I truly appreciated how accurate the show's depiction of emergency medicine was. 

One the characters with whom I identified the most was a young, earnest medical student, John Carter, played by Noah Wylie. I cannot recall what happened to Carter when the show concluded. However, one can imagine that he might have grown up to be an E.R. attending.

The new show, "The Pitt," on Max stars Noah Wylie exactly twenty years later. Wylie is no longer Carter but rather a veteran E.R. attending named Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch. The show's 15 episodes take place over the course of a very eventful 15 hour shift. There is a memorable cast of characters, and we see many of the highs and lows of working in American medicine and living in American society today.

The episodes were released one at a time, and I could not wait to watch the next one. Last night, I watched the final episode of the first season, which was a barnburner. Simply put, "the Pitt" is the most accurate and compelling medical show I have ever seen. It can be graphic and heart-breaking but also life-affirming. Just like life.

LIKE YESTERDAY!

We recently went on spring break. We were able to kill two birds with one stone on the trip by visiting colleges Cate is interested in for soccer and seeing old friends. 

We started off on the east coast and stayed with our friends Eddie and Liz from residenct, who have been living in Philadelphia for the past decade or so. They were wonderful hosts, showing us the city and keeping us entertained. We saw some of the tourist sites like the Liberty Bell and also checked out the wonderful Barnes Foundation collection of art. The latter was one of the greatest collections of art under one roof that I have ever seen.

Cate had a nice visit to Swarthmore, which we had seen with Nicholas three years prior, and we all came away very impressed by the students and the school.

Dave Donohue was one of my best friends in medical school, and he has been back in his howetown of Wilmington for the past 20 years. He and his family kindly hosted us, and we enjoyed our time together on several runs, playing pickleball, and just catching up. 

On our way to our next stop, Pittsburgh, we stopped off in the Longwood Gardens between Wilmington and Philadelphia. The grounds and the flowers were absolutely beautiful!

In Pittsburgh, we caught up with my former mentor from fellowship, Jim Herman, while Cate had a nice visit at Carnegie-Mellon. 

That night, we headed to Cleveland, the last stop on our trip. We saw our friends from fellowship in Baltimore, Hetty and Craig and explored the city. While she was doing a soccer camp at Case Western Reserve University, Kathleen and I took in some sites in Cleveland, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

It was a fun week packed with new places but also old friends. I was reminded at each stop how fortunate I am to have made such amazing friends over the years and how medicine has taken me and my friends  all over. 

Cate has indicated an interest in biology and possibly medicine. We will see if she follows through on that. If she does, I hope she makes the same sort of connections that last a lifetime like we have. There is something so special about feeling like it was just yesterday when you saw certain people, even though it has been several years. Until next time!