This past week I was a little under the weather and I did not have to work at all this weekend, this really did help as it was just a weekend of rest for me. We now have a blizzard moving in which will extend my weekend one more day until I have to start clearing snow.
I was scrolling through Facebook and then my phone buzzed and I was informed that one of my professors from National had passed away. I don’t know what exactly Dr. Richardson passed away from but he is the second professor that I have lost since I have been out of school. Dr. Vyas and Dr. Richardson were two of my favorites at National because they had such a passion for the subjects that they taught. They both had a love for life, smiles were always on their faces.
I think back to my time at National, Dr. Richardson and Dr. Vyas were normally the highlight of your day as they could talk to you about anything and everything and genuinely cared about the well-being of the student. Most students would agree with this sentiment. The subjects that they taught were not glamorous by any stretch, Dr. Vyas taught pathology and Dr. Richardson taught Phamacology, both tough subjects but both men made the topics tolerable.
They truly found their passions in life. I absolutely love what I do for a living but this past week was very tough to have an optimistic outlook as I was constantly fighting my own body in order to help those that were coming into the office.
It can be very tough to help others when you don’t feel all that great to begin with, that is why this weekend came at such the perfect time. It was a rare weekend that I did not have to travel to Arnold and did not have any other obligations that I was required to be at. It gets you thinking and little bit of a fire in your belly to get back to the office and create a positive energy in other people’s lives just at Dr’s Vyas and Richardson did for me and countless other students at National.
January can really test your patience and commitment as normally it is a slow month as people start to get back into a routine after the holidays. So keeping a smile on your face and an optimistic attitude can be trying some days; really hard this week when you feel under the weather.
A passion what brought into the classroom everyday with Dr’s. Richardson and Vyas and I feel that I should practice with this same enthusiasm and optimism everyday that I walk into the offices. This is one of the few things that you can control on a daily basis.
Have fun, enjoy what you do, smile, make patients feel better, and find an optimism that patients can feed off of on their road to improvement. These are all things that you can bring to the office and it will bring a sense of calm and purpose to everyone that walks through the door. Not only that if you can present a sense of calm, normally you present with more confidence, this is passed onto the patient and things seem to go a lot smoother during the course of treatment.
Try to show up to your office with a passion, smile more and ultimately it will help you succeed in practice and help as many people as possible during the process.
Rest in Peace Dr. Richardson, keep marching and smiling up with the big guy.