EXCELLENCE

The theme of excellence is something I think about a lot. This is not only because I consider myself a perfectionist but also because there is so much mediocrity in this world.

This weekend, I had the good fortune to watch Cate play four games in a futsal, a version of indoor soccer, tournament. Even though Cate is nine and most of her teammates are ten, they were playing in the 11 year old division because they knew that playing girls their age would not have been challenging enough.

In the first game, we came up short by one goal against a group of girls who appeared much older than 11. In fact, there were so big that I wondered if several of them had driven themselves to the facility! Our girls were undaunted and went on to win the next two games and finish second in their group. This resulted in a rematch with the Amazonians in the final.

It was a tight affair that was significant for the many hard fouls committed by the other team. They scored first, and then we equalized. We had a chance to take the lead after they committed a foul on one of our players in the box. Our coach picked Cate to take the penalty. Partly this was because she is so dependable but also because she had scored a beautiful game winner from a shot from 20 feet out in the closing seconds of our second match. Cate bravely stepped up and fired to the keeper's left, but unfortunately their keeper stopped the ball-no doubt because of her large size. Very late on, the other team scored again, and we could not counter. It finished 2-1.

Despite losing the final, I am so proud of these girls. They gave it their all, comported themselves well, and outplayed all their opponents regardless of what the scoreline said. In one word, they are excellence.

DAN FOSTER, M.D.

Last week, I learned of the passing of a giant of medicine-Dr. Daniel Foster, M.D. I had the privilege of getting to know Dr. Foster during my four years in Dallas when he was the Chair of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern. Simply put, no one had a greater influence on my career than Dr. Foster, and I am what I am today because of him.

I decided to go to Southwestern in 1998 for Internal Medicine residency because I wanted to be trained in the most rigorous environment possible so that I would feel comfortable managing the sickest patients imaginable. Based on that metric alone, my education there was a success. However, I came to learn much more than excellence in clinical medicine and patient care. At UT Southwestern, I was surrounded by so-called "triple threat" physicians who were excellent doctors, teachers, and basic researchers. Dr. Foster was foremost among them. That he could solve the toughest case presentations at our daily meeting called morning report while also quoting the latest findings for the scientific journals Nature or Science was truly remarkable. His example of excellence in everything he did made me realize that that is the life to which I aspired-a life of medicine and science.

His life story, like mine, was not typical for someone who would go on to dedicate his life to both medicine and science. In fact, like me, he had no formal research training until after the completion of his internal medicine residency training in Dallas. What he did have was a passion to make discoveries that improved human health, and his accomplishment in diabetes and metabolism are far too numerous to list.

What I loved about him most though was his humanism, his empathy, and his ability to inspire. Since leaving Southwestern,  I have met no one like him, and I feel honored to have had four years with him - the four best years of my life.

There will never be another Dan Foster, M.D., and I will never be able to truly repay him for all he gave me. What I do promise is to pass on what excellence is and to try to inspire the next generation of physicians and scientists. That Dr. Foster would be proud of, and that means a lot.

BRAVERY IN THE BERNABEU

This weekend, Barca played its first game of the season against Real Madrid-a derby match known as el clasico.

Barca held a commanding league in the Spanish domestic league going into the match, but Madrid were coming off their fifth trophy of the year-the Club World Cup-and many had anointed them far and away the best side of 2017. Thus, it was clear that fireworks would ensue as these eternal rivals took the pitch.

Early on, Madrid were rampant, and they pressured Barca relentlessly. However, as the first half went on, Barca found its composure and created a few chances of its own. Nonetheless, I was not optimistic when we went into halftime 0-0.

Something seemed to have clicked at half time, however. For Barca, that click was the on switch being flipped. For Real, on the other hand, tentativeness set in. It was as though Barca said, "they threw everything they had at us, and it got them nothing. Let's now play our game and get them on the back foot." Real's response seemed to be, "How did we not score? What do we do now?" And that  is exactly how things played out.

Barca scored first on a beautiful counterattack started from their own end. They quickly followed that up with a penalty after a Madrid player was sent off for deliberately handling the ball and preventing a goal scoring opportunity. What was most striking-especially before these two goals-was how Barca did not just sit back and waster time or play the safe pass. Time and time again, they played the attacking pass, the killer pass. As I reflected on Barca's ostensible bravery, I came to realize that these men would dispute that account. They were simply doing their job, playing their game the only way they knew how. To attack and to exploit is not something one does when it is safe. This is how Barca players from the academy to the first team are taught to play every time they take the field!

In the end, we finished with a deserved 3-0 win over Madrid, pushing them 14 points behind us and hopefully dealing them a knockout blow in the league. There are more more games to play before the league title is ours, and we may still face Madrid in two other competitions, but until play resumes in January, Barca are the undisputed kings of Spain and the world. Back to where they belong, if you ask me!

GRAPHIC

Cate is the queen of graphs, and this is one of my favorites. I especially like the comment in the bottom right.

Edward Tufte would be proud!

Strawberries it is!

LADY BIRD

This past weekend I saw the new film "Lady Bird" directed by the actress Greta Gerwig. I have enjoyed Ms. Gerwig's films for sometime and that is why I was so excited to see her semi-autobiographical directorial debut.

The movie did not disappoint, and I felt myself traveling back to high school during the 90 minutes of the film. The main character, Christine is played by the wonderful Irish actress Saoirse Ronan. Christine goes by the self-appointed nickname Lady Bird and is a girl on the verge - on the verge of college, adulthood, and sexual awakening. She navigates situations that are fraught with conflict and complexity and somehow manages to do so with her integrity and sense of self intact. This is no small feat for an adult, let alone an adolescent.

The movie reminded me of how difficult that time in my own life was and also how I did not truly recognize or appreciate the Lady Birds I grew up with. Looking back, I now realize that I knew countless women like Lady Bird. Had I taken the time to look around, I would have realized that they were just like me- resolute in their ideas of the world and trying to navigate the land mines of growing up. If I had seen them, I think I might have had a very different childhood and felt less isolated. However, while life is best understood backwards, it must be lived forwards. For that reason,  it is never too late to think about all the people we encounter each day who may be more like us than we realize. Here's to all the Lady Birds out there!

BIG VICTORIES

In recent days, Democrats have pulled off stunning upsets. First, came the titanic win of Doug Jones over the accused child molester and all around degenerate Roy Moore in Alabama. Today, we learned that Democrats won the final remaining race for the Virgina House of Delegates by a single vote. That solitary vote means that there are an equal number of Democratic and Republican representatives in that chamber. Importantly, the Governor casts the deciding vote in the event of ties.

These wins come after months of struggles for Democrats who had lost every special election to fill a seat vacated by Trump appointees. However, the tide truly appears to be turning, and the resistance nationwide is fired up and ready to go.

How did we get to such a state in our politics? It began with the election of a carnival barker and degenerate to the White House whose antics and crudeness have left an inedible mark on that office and the American people. Clearly a majority of voters in two southern states said enough is enough. Imagine the reaction of voters in more moderate areas, including suburbs of large cities nationwide. That territory is the battleground where presidential, gubernatorial, and congressional elections are won or lost, and I feel more hopeful than ever before about our ability to win at all three of those levels.

Winning will not happen by itself. That is why we must all get involved by donating, talking to our friends and neighbors, and volunteering for campaigns. It is a truism that if turnout is high, Democrats will win. Because of this, there is no room for sitting on the sidelines anymore. The stakes are just too high.

I implore you to get involved. We rise and fall as one, and I, for one, sense a new dawn in our politics and for our country- one in which order, hope, and decency are restored to there rightful places.

REGRETS, WE ALL HAVE A FEW

Recently, Cate took a field trip to visit a Native American cultural center along with her teachers and classmates. This was not Cate's first field trip, and others had gone off without a hitch. On this one though, there was a problem-a big problem.

After the trip, we learned that Cate and several of her classmates were raising their middle fingers in the f--- you sign to cars that were passing by. When confronted about this by her teacher, Cate and her classmates said they did not know what that symbol stood for and pleaded innocence.

Later that night, I had a chance to talk to Cate. She said she truly did not know what "flipping the bird" meant and that she and her friends were just doing it at the ceiling. I calmly asked Cate, "Where did you see such a thing, and did you think that was a kind symbol or an unkind symbol?" She replied that she had seen it at school. Further, she said that whenever she had seen someone do this, it seemed as though they were doing it to be mean or make someone feel bad.

Having established that Cate knew this was a bad decision, I tried to help her realize that this did not make her a bad person. I told her I was saddened by her choice but that I did not love her any less. We talked about how we knew she could do better and that one was obligated to think before any action. We talked about deciding whether our choices were designed to "break" someone down or to "build" them up and how "builds" were the actions we should strive for.

The next day, Cate wrote a letter of apology to her teachers that she handed in today. Cate said her teacher appreciated the sincerity of her words and actions. I appreciate them, too, and I know that Cate will be a better person for having made such a regretful error. I would know as I have been there myself on too many occasions to count.