LIFE AFTER MEDICINE
Is There Life After Medicine ?
by DAVID WATKINS , MD
Yes ! There is life after medicine . No matter how long we worked in our particular area of medicine , there does come an end point to that work ; not necessarily to the love of or the dedication to it , but to the routine of the service to it . It ’ s the routine that ’ s so very hard to change . I still awaken routinely at or very near to 5:30 a . m ., but it no longer leads to the daily schedule of rounds , procedures , discussions with patients or families , office exams , paperwork ( computerized notes ) and insurance necessities .
It has taken some time for me to quell that habitual routine because to do so I had to replace it with something else , or more likely , several other somethings . I was lucky because I had exposure to hobbies or avocations by my family and friends from childhood onward . My grandfather taught me to hit a tennis ball with a sawed-off broomstick handle , thus leading to a love of baseball . My father took me fishing and hunting , and we loved being outdoors . My grandmother taught me to play piano , but baseball took precedence when I was 10 years old . My mother was a very talented self-taught artist and painted scenes and animals with oils and acrylics . My great-grandmother taught me to write first by printing , then in cursive by the time I was 4 years old . She also tutored me in algebra and Latin when I was in junior high ! So early on , I was introduced to the out-of-doors ,
14 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE sports , art , music and the appreciation of the world around me .
My wife , Sharon , has led my enjoyment for music to a higher place , namely classical music and the opera . She is a formally trained soprano with high soaring notes and wonderful drama and fanciful character in her performances . I took a step of my own and learned to play a snare drum and play occasionally with a group of friends playing bluegrass music – we call it “ Pickin ’, grinnin ’ and tellin ’ lies time .”
My favorite “ routine breaker ,” though , is bass fishing . You can get hooked on it very quickly and usually by the very first big bass you tussle with . Using a nimble , flexible fishing rod , you make sure to keep pressure on the fish so its jumps , quick direction changes and head shakes won ’ t dislodge the hook . You net it or “ thumb ” it out of the water , remove the hook , thank it for such a fight , take its picture ( and your big grin ) and put it back in the water to thrill someone else another time . The secret of fishing is to have “ stuff !” You gotta have stuff to fish with for every kind of fish , big or small , salt or fresh water , and in any kind of weather . There are all kinds of rods , reels , lines , lures , hooks , rain gear , sun screens , hats , caps , pliers , scissors , tackle boxes , personal safety flotation vests , anchors , GPS and fish-finder electronics . But ! The major necessity is to have a friend who has a boat and enjoys sharing it with you on fishing adventures !! Here ’ s a big thank you to Tom and Mary Stuart Reichard for allowing me to tag along with them in their boat on many fishing outings that have helped me shed the “ routine blues !”
Dr . Watkins is a retired physical medicine & rehabilitation physician .