Personal anecdote

For me, Christmas has always been about family time, music, and comfortable traditions.

Lebkuchen were one of the most anticipated and treasured traditions for our family Christmas. My mother usually made two batches of about 50 and they never lasted long enough to get stale. The recipe is from my GG Aunt Mary Dutcher Field (1848-1929).

This past year I became a certified Green Dot instructor. Let me tell you why it is important to me - and should be important to you.

My daughter and I were standing on line in an upscale cross-country ski lodge near Sun Valley.  The man in front of us ordered for himself and then his somewhat younger and obviously starstruck female companion. Their order consisted of two hamburgers, two coffees, and two large chocolate-chip cookies, and their bill came to about $30. He handed the guy behind the counter a $100 bill and said, just a bit louder than necessary, “Keep the change.”

This week, waiting at a local hairdresser for my appointment, I had an unnerving experience.

Two women came in together and sat down. They were talking enthusiastically about the previous night’s State of the State address by Governor Lepage, pleased with how well he spoke and looking forward to some of his promises. At one point, one of the women said: “It’s too bad they won’t let him do what he wants. If they did, he’d get rid of all those Somalis.”

After four decades in medicine, I retired from the active practice of primary care 15 months ago.  I still get asked at least once a day: “Well, how’s retirement treating you?” My usual reply is that it is a learning process. A more accurate response would be that it is like playing Tetris, but with pieces that change shape and rotate unpredictably as they fall.

(For those not of a certain age, here is Tetris: