cultivating the beautiful ordinary by sharing our tales and our tables
It is that stage in life where the day feels so full that there is barely room to breathe. With working full time, my day is brimming with stories, complaints, and check lists. My time at home is marked by conversations with my husband, bedtimes, and dishes. It is sweet to stop and breathe in cuddles with our…
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“Auny” was part godmother and part adopted grandmother to me. She had a pet name all of her own, as she held a treasured and unique place in our family. She worked as a hostess in my grandparents’ midwestern Chinese restaurant. This was in a time before friendship between races was considered acceptable. For decades, she rubbed…
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Every day for the last year, I put my hair into a long ponytail and adjust a mask over my face. Never before has such a small piece of cloth meant so much. It’s a daily reminder to me of how life has changed.
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Before me sits a well-groomed 75-year-old man named Richard. His button-down shirt is tidy, and his khakis are well pressed. He is a former pilot and used to being in control. He is witty and quick to answer, navigating questions with a rapid side step. One would never know just by talking to him.
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Just as we sit down to dinner, her screams pierce our ears. Our daughter is not happy. She has been fed, diapered, and laid down to rest. This is not okay in her mind, and she is making that clearly known. Her cries seem to translate into “Where did you go? Someone come get me!”…
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Seven cities in twenty years have taught me that home is where your people are. These are the people that hold you as you walk into a new job, as you figure out marriage, as you fear for your loved one’s health. These people come when you are a mess and are willing to speak…
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It was my first year of medical residency. My brain was stuffed with all of the technical information to wear the doctor’s white coat; however, I lacked the knowledge born of experience. And I knew it. He was a patient, kind man, somewhere in his 50s. His skin was yellowed with jaundice; his belly swollen…
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“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal….Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket,…
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It was my first day of 30-hour call during my intern year. Anxiety welled up into my throat and my chest tightened and it was late into the night. My senior resident had long since gone to sleep, and I had no idea what to do. What do I do with a 60 year old…
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My day started unexpectedly with an emotional bomb. My first patient visit was to be a quick new patient physical. Based in outward appearances, she was a healthy, 40-something-year-old Caucasian woman. I ticked through her notes and vital signs: weight, perfect; blood pressure, to goal; labs, normal. I would be in and out—minimal needs and…
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