GUN CRAZY

This month we witnessed the massacre of 19 children and two of their teachers in Uvalde, Texas. While the police confronted the shooter and were aware of his movements and location, they failed to intervene for more than one hour. There has been much discussion about how law enforcement dropped the ball but not enough discussion about why they failed to intervene and why our elected leaders have been so incompetent and derelict of their duty.

It is now clear that the police on site at the school were awaiting protective shields prior to storming the room because they knew they were outgunned by the shooter's assault rifle. Why these weapons of war are legal in this country, I will never know. 

Our elected leaders are far more culpable in my opinion because, like us, they have witnessed mass shooting after mass shooting without taking any action. This is unconscionable. 

This week the senate finally took action and passed an incremental gun safety bill. It does not touch assault rifles or high capacity magazines and does not offer the basic protections that the majority of Americans believe should become law. Tellingly, Canada reacted to our Uvalde shooting by passing strict gun control legislation because they do not want to live in a society like ours.

When the senseless slaughter of children, husbands, wives, brothers, and sisters ends, that is when we can call ourselves a civilized nation.

RUNNING FOR THEIR LIVES

Each year, the high school students of Canton and Plymouth in Southeast Michigan put on the SJ5K race to benefit a small group of families in need in their area. This year one of the beneficiaries of the fundraiser was one of my patients, Dale Palmer.

I met Dale over two years ago right before COVID. He and his wife are educators, and they asked very thoughtful questions at every visit, including the first. It has been a privilege to know him.

When the Palmers told me recently that their community was putting on the race to benefit them, I did not hesitate to sign up. For me, running has always been about more than putting one foot in front of the other. Rather, running is about clearing one's head, pushing one's self to the limit, and finding inner peace. Sometimes, one also has a chance to give back just by running a race.

The morning of the race was cool, rainy, and overcast. However, that did not deter several thousand people from cramming into the stands of the football stadium to hear from the families who were chosen as beneficiaries prior to the race. 

I am biased, but Dale's wife Norma gave the best speech describing the man Dale is and what all he had been through. I am certain that all of the students - and all of the adults for that matter - came away from those speeches with a better sense of how fragile life is and how lucky they are to be healthy and alive. I know I do.

At last, we took off running. I was in the front pack, surrounded mostly by high school students who zoomed by. Over time though, I caught many people who had been ahead of me. I finished in near record time for me, and I like to think that Dale was pushing me forward every step of the way.  

This was not my fastest 5K race, but it was the most moving race I have ever participated in. I have been honored to know Dale and Norma. They remind me what is important in life - community, family, and giving back. This will not be my last SJ5K.

TOURISTS

In addition to visiting friends on Spring Break, we also had a chance to visit some great colleges on the East Coast.

Our first stop was Swarthmore where Nicholas and I took a tour. It was the smallest school we visited with approximately 2,000 kids - smaller than my high school - but a wonderful liberal arts college.

Next, we visited the University of Pennsylvania in West Philadelphia, a much more urban campus. During our time walking around, the area was hit with a brief but powerful snow squall, but we made it out in one piece!

Our next stop was Princeton, which was another beautiful campus. This time, Cate and Kathleen joined us on a tour. We ran into a family from our same high school in Ann Arbor at lunch after the tour. Small world!

Next, we headed into New York City and hit up Columbia. Again, this was a very urban campus, but it feel a little more sedate than the neighborhood Penn was located in. We even saw the restaurant used in Seinfeld.

We had a great Vietnamese lunch and ice cream from Milk Bar. Then, we walked down to MOMA. It was a rapid fire visit, but fun nonetheless. After 13 miles of walking, we end our day in the city with a stop at a nice Japanese restaurant for some high quality sushi. Nicholas was enraptured. 

From there, we headed upstate to Syracuse, which has one of the nation's best sports broadcasting schools, the Newhouse School. They were not offering tours that day, but they let Nicholas sit in on an admitted students' session that day. He got to hear all about the Newhouse School and even have lunch on the field of their iconic sports stadium, the Carrier Dome.

We finished up with a visit to beautiful Ithaca nearby Syracuse. The daughter of one of my collaborators is a student there, and she met us after our very steep walk from downtown to the campus. No wonder apple maps said the 1 mile walk would take 40 minutes! There is no elevation gain on these programs, so we had no idea what we were about to do. Cornell was a beautiful campus, literally gorge-ous!

Fortunately, we were able to get a ride back down to our hotel, and we headed to the vegetarian restaurant Moosewood, a world famous but laid back place, for a nice dinner.

Cate was a great sport during the trip, and it did not go unrewarded. She picked up merch at nearly every college store! She is truly "All Ivy!"

We will see where she ends up and Nicholas, too!

LIKE OLD TIMES

We recently returned from a fun trip to the East Coast. On the surface, this trip was about visiting colleges with Nicholas. However, we strategically chose the locations we visited based on dear friends who live in those locations.

After school got out, we head east and made it to Pittsburgh just in time for bed. The next morning, we met up with our dear friend Leisha whom Kathleen knew from residency in Dallas, and whom I met at Hopkins. Interestingly, Leisha was a med student at Baylor , a resident at UT Southwestern, and an oncology fellow at Hopkins - just like me. We had not seen Leisha in almost three years, but it was as if no time had passed. After a yummy breakfast, we headed out for the East Coast.

Our first stop was Wilmington, DE to see one of my dearest friends from medical school, Dave, and his family. I had not seen Dave in almost four years, but we did not miss a beat. His family kindly put us up for the night, and we had an amazing time catching up and playing all sorts of games. Who knew Cate was such a spikeball expert? Nicholas was not bad either!

We also tried - but failed - to escape from an escape room and played some fun rounds of jackbox. In addition, Dave introduced us to the importance of a vegan diet (his entire family is vegan), and I have to say that I have been purposeful about trying to eat 6 servings of different fruits and vegetables per day while also cutting down on animal products!

Next, we headed to nearby Philadelphia and caught up with our friends Eddie and Liz whom we met at residency in Dallas and whom we had not seen in almost three years. We went to a wonderful tapas restaurant and ate a family style meal at a big table with both of our families. The waiter never seemed to bring enough bread, and we had some hilarious exchanges about how he could feel free to be more generous with the bread. Somehow, he still failed to do so!

Next we headed to the New York metro area and met up with my friend Chap from medical school who lives just north of the city. Our kids were very similar in age as our kids, and they bonded over dinner at a nice, but dark, Italian restaurant. They were on their end of the table, but I distinctly heard some of the important icebreaker questions they were discussing, including, "what is your favorite type of cheese?!"

Chap and I had not seen each other in eight years, but it was as though no time had passed. We had a chance to go for an early morning run the last day we were in New York, and the seamlessness of our conversation blew me away once again. That is the definition of a friend - someone to whom you do not have explain yourself and with whom it feels like one is back in the old days no matter how much time has passed.

I was reminded all week long how lucky I am to have the best friends in the world!

THANK GOD CHRIS ROCK IS BLACK

Last Sunday at the Oscars, the actor Will Smith physically assaulted the comedian Chris Rock after Rock told a joke about his wife's haircut. Mind you, Will Smith was initially laughing along with the rest of the crowd. However, his demeanor quickly shifted within seconds of hearing the joke. 

He strode onto the stage, slapped Rock with an open palm, and then proceeded to shout profanities at Rock. Needless to say, this was quite a shocking sight.

There have been many takes on this violent act in the media and on social media, and I will not review them all here. I am just grateful for one thing - that Rock is black. Why, you ask? Imagine if Rock had been white. We would be talking about how a black man got away with highway robbery for hitting a white man and how the reverse would not have been true in liberal Hollywood. Instead, because Rock - like Smith - is black, we can focus on the brutality of Smith's act and put his race aside. 

I do not know what the most appropriate punishment for Smith is, and I have no interest in "cancelling" him. I do condemn his violent action and hope that people around the world come to see it the same way - as something inexcusable and an assault on free speech and decency. 

WONDER GOAL FROM BOY WONDER

Although he is only 19, Pedro Lopez Gonzalez, known simply as "Pedri," is one of the best young players in the world. 

He has the vision and understanding of the game of midfielders many years his senior. However, he also has incredible poise in front of net and a knack for scoring wondrous goals out of seemingly nothing. 

Today's game winner against Sevilla that vaulted Barca into second place in the league is a prime example. Enjoy!

WE'RE BACK

Barca and Real Madrid played the latest edition of the clasico, and this one was a sight to behold. Barca returned to its possession style play en route to a 4-0 dismantling of the whites. The scoreline actually flatters Madrid as this game could have easily been 7-0, were it not for wasted chances by the Catalans. 

While Barca did dominate possession like they did in years past, their attack was different this time. Rather than the ball flowing through the midfield, it flowed to the wings and then into the box time after time. These were not simply hopeful crosses. Rather, the wing players cut inside and disrupted Madrid's backline time and time again. All the credit goes to our coach Xavi Hernandez who has turned this team around in just a matter of weeks. Barca is now recognizable again, and a sight for sore eyes! 

Only time will tell us if this win and the way Barca won herald a new, rediscovered identity. I can't wait to see what happens next!