Conversations rising from a lifetime trekking the ever-changing world of veterinary medicine
My Nonny was an interesting woman. When I was younger, I couldn’t see how any of her DNA could have been in me. First of all, she was a beautiful seamstress. That says a lot right there. But what I think, is it might just take a while for those cells to start to percolate …
In those days we were a bit asymmetrical. And, we wore our no commitment, free love on the outside. A messy eclectic sense of identity, I loved to shop the thrift stores for lovely old rayon dresses, the kind that old ladies wore. But sometimes I couldn’t remember not to throw them in the washer …
These nights have been really warm. We’ve had long stretches of hot days and warm nights. The summer-like heat kicked in overnight. And, like the horses, it caught me off guard. I hadn’t quite shed my winter coat either. I was still in long underwear season. And, never mind our lilacs. Poor things, got froze …
The night our house burned down we had nothing left but the clothes we had on when we left the house earlier that evening. That devastating and life altering event happened a long time ago. But, I admit there are times I wonder what it might be like if it happened today. The first thing …
“An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded in a previous year, and may also refer to the commemoration or celebration of that event.” Anniversaries are remembered for all sorts of reasons. And, something I find at this age is that I have quite a collection of …
It didn’t happen all the time. But it showed up enough. As time went on I started to notice a pattern. Pounding shifts night after night that never seemed to end would bring it on. A particular case in the ICU that went days into weeks could be bruising. Or an all-consuming ventilator case with …
What do you think happens when idealists get to be elders? I don’t mean ‘el-der-ly’. I mean elders. One of the ways we define humans is by age group. And as our society changes, we seem to modify the profiles around these age groups. Time is such a trickster. I remember when I was in …
Some call it intuition or gut feeling. I call it my “spidey senses” or my “higher self”. I’ve got a hunch; I’ve got a feeling… all those phrases we place on an internal trigger that’s hardwired in us. Primitive humans would use gut feeling as an additional tool to, say, escape being eaten by a …
Joni Mitchell’s influence I believe every woman should promise herself the gift of listening to Joni Mitchell’s Blue album before leaving this earth. Listen at night with the headphones of your choice and play as loud as you can comfortably stand it. Relaxing substances are optional. There was a lot of poignant music that defined …
If you spend just a little time searching the web, you’ll find groups whose sole purpose is supporting the mental health and well-being of veterinary professionals. They are welcoming, inclusive, and, with open arms they offer a place of respite and an ear of understanding to those whose hearts are in pain. Someone to walk …