I just woke up from a post night shift nap. I worked 2 evening shifts in the emergency room. Although being an emergency doc is not my primary work now, i still love the unique atmosphere created in the resuscitation room. The people who work in the emergency room, i love even more. They are dedicated, generous and courageous.
Once in a while, i go back to this love that has been my work for 2 decades.
It’s only recently that i understand how time is precious. Once spent, time does not come back. I knew that but i did not understand it. In my view, knowledge is useful information. Understanding is knowledge applied in real life. There is a big difference here. For all the talk about the simple life, the value of time, the desire to slow down, i don’t see many people putting this into action and change. I’ve been in that crowd for many years, talking but not acting. It’s only recently that i try really hard to live these ideas, to transform abstract knowledge into felt understanding.
Before, my life would a never ending race and time flew by at a dizzying speed without giving me a true sense of satisfaction that life is meaningful.
For example, last year, after a night shift, i would jump in my car and drive 2 hours home because it is where things got done, where i would check items off the to do list, where i thought life happened.
In 2019, after a night shift in the emergency room, i go back to l’Auberge St-Boheme. I take a shower. I enjoy a good breakfast and i take a nap. The difference is that i take care of my self. I am not lazy, i just take care of me and it really makes me happy. Slowing down has it’s benefit. I understand that time expands when we do less. When i have given enough to myself, I have more of it, more to share and more to give to those i love.
So this morning, after my nap, before leaving, i take the time to write. I have recently understood that there are a few things that make me happy.
Spending time with the people i love.
Helping people through my work.
Creating and sharing my inner sense of beauty through my crafts: writing, photography and cooking.
Thank you Diane St-Pierre and Michel Bohemier for your warm welcome and your generosity. I enjoy seeing you every month for a few days.
Original post Facebook, 2019
Martin Pham Dinh 