Lives of Stuff and the Stuff of Lives
Have to say, I’m quite proud of my Turek Clinic staff. This year was a busy one, full of the stuff of life. Three of my beloved staff left for medical school or to become physician’s assistants or nurse practitioners. I felt like I was back in academics training and inspiring them to do greater things. Higher, Orville, higher.
Then, brand spanking new recruits jumped right into the fast flowing river that is our Clinic and survived. To boot, the more established staff had to take on new responsibilities and also train the newbies. Mix this in with the launching of new clinical programs, births and deaths, fires throughout California displacing staff or their families, the ups and downs of politics and terrorism affecting our international patients, and you have a recipe for a big ol’ mess.
But there was no mess. And no muss or fuss either. In fact the year was a great success. The staff stuck together and worked seamlessly and tirelessly to keep things running strong. The team gelled beautifully and has made me incredibly proud. Hence, the inspiration for the limerick I gave them at the annual Holiday Lunch this year:
Guts
This year has left me speechless,
It really, really has,
With fires, storms and politics,
It seemed less good than bad.
Two steps forward and one step back,
Was the theme for us all year,
The rock, the push, the sway and tack,
Made the near far and the far near.
But throughout it all there was a constant,
A shining beacon amongst us,
It stemmed from a collective covenant,
That is best described as “guts.”
Thanks to each of you we have it,
In spades, mind you, in spades,
As strong as rocks of granite,
Unwavering and unallayed.
A toast to all of you, who inspire me every day.
