Hamsa with peace doves
Mirror frame Lazy Susan ( no offense to Susan !)
Upcycled tables (“ Hamsa Twins ”) Louisville skyline fleur de lis tray
I was undeterred ! I finished the project and loved completing it so much that I decided to order glass tiles , nippers , adhesive and grout , and created a small studio space for myself to work on other projects . I refurbished / upcycled an old marble table to create a new MahJongg table . I created gifts for friends and family using different substrates for three-dimensional projects as well as on flat surfaces . This was all happening while I was still practicing pediatric cardiology , albeit part-time . As a result , when I was approached by our Louisville Jewish Community Center and commissioned to create a mural commemorating Israel at 70 , I gladly accepted .
Later in 2018 , I learned that the leased space for my pediatric cardiology practice would no longer be available . I was faced with the decision to retire early , although I did not feel “ ready ” to retire . A friend helped me re-frame the situation , putting a positive spin on this “ would-be retirement ,” suggesting “ Why not consider this a sabbatical ?” Knowing that I was already getting commissions to create mosaics , I continued to learn as much as I could about them . Soon thereafter , I was approached by the UofL Pediatric Cardiology Division Chief about a part-time outreach position , however , it would start in September 2019 .
My sabbatical year enabled me to put a lot of this into perspective . I went from being devastated that I would no longer be practicing pediatric cardiology to being grateful that I have another skill that could potentially generate income . More importantly , creating mosaics has been a very meditative process , leading to great stress reduction , not something easily attained while practicing pediatric cardiology ! That is not to say that doing mosaics is completely stress-free , but the challenges are nowhere near those associated with pediatric cardiology . The physical pain inflicted by a shard of glass cutting a sensitive fingertip is nothing compared to the emotional pain I have encountered when a patient does not do well .
Mosaics have allowed me to express a creativity I didn ’ t know I had . It has been a way to create beauty from broken shards and order from chaos . So , if I weren ’ t a doctor , I ’ d be a mosaic artist . And now that I am retired from pediatric cardiology , I am a mosaic artist !
This essay was a submission to the 2024 Richard Spear , MD , Memorial Essay Contest .
Dr . Klein is a retired pediatric cardiologist .
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