Report of 30 Nov 2023

 Good evening!

The Bay of Bengal is clear and pretty.  I am sick and battling a virus picked up on travels.  Tenacious tiny bug - has lingered for days now.  It's always good for doctors to be patients on occasion.

We returned from Madurai last week, having attended the wedding of a Banyan child.  The wedding was fun, and being in a part of Tamil Nadu that we have never seen (Ambasamudram) was also nice.  Lush, green, unsullied.  We took a drive in the pre-dawn hours (since the wedding was at 8.30 AM) to a nearby dam and the vista was spectacular.  The wedding was thickly attended by Banyan folks, and was nice.  We finished that, got home to Madurai, had lunch with my Dad and watched  (on TV) India regretfully lose the World Cup in cricket to Australia.  

We returned to Chennai and then undertook travels to Mysore, Coorg and Bangalore.  Relatives had to be notified of the wedding, in person.  Respectful tradition.  So we went.  It was great to see everyone and tell them of our daughter's wedding next month.  We were received warmly, which was nice; there have been family feuds galore and I want no part of any of them.  I think I gained a couple of pounds in travels and did manage to get a workout in on one of the days, which was great therapy.  The weather in Mysore was cool and pleasant - conducive to a brisk walk.  We also visited my former school principal, which is unfailingly grand.  We have a long tradition here of respecting our gurus (teachers).  

Exercise is quite the panacea.  As an article said a few years ago, if exercise were to be a pill/tablet/capsule (i.e., retail medication), it would be a bestseller.  

We lost a brother-in-law this week.  He had been on Hospice and so the end was not unexpected; still leaves a void, though.  He was opinionated, candid and appreciative; naturally, I loved him dearly.  

We met with friends for lunch this week.  They will also cater Nat's wedding, and I am glad of this.  

I saw a sensational movie today called "A man called Otto."  I used to watch movies ad infinitum and then stopped as they were a drain on time; this one was worthwhile and had stellar resources for thoughts of self-harm.  The movie had Tom Hanks and his son Truman, and a host of folks whom I was happy to see as I had not seen them before.  

We are well, grateful to be doing what we do and to have fine people in our lives.  Such as yourselves.  For me, working with marginalised people is heady and fun.  I hope you have grand fun, yourselves.

Unw -

R  

Report of 21 Nov 2023

 Good evening!  

The Bay of Bengal was barely visible earlier - we are in the midst of a rainy week, and so one cannot see the sea well.  

We are well - aging, trying to eat right and stay active.  Scott's resolve in this regard has been remarkable: he has 32 sweet teeth, he says, and moderated his sugar intake when we were stateside.  So cookies were not bought weekly, dessert was eschewed, and honey replaced sugar in coffee and tea sometimes.  We lived this summer in a spectacularly beautiful part of Pennsylvania and I enjoyed walking in the hills.  Leg muscles are elusive in spite of all the exercising, but I do think I have spotted one.  Being heavy in the lower half is the bane of many an Indian woman's existence.

Work this year was nice.  I worked at 2 systems and enjoyed both.  The 2nd system had EPIC as the electronic medical record (EMR).  I love EPIC and find it very easy to document on it.  The patient population was also varied and fun, and quite routinely grateful.  There is no more powerful incentive than to hear "Thank you" from a patient, especially when one least expects it.  

There was a patient who had been bitten by a cat.  He had tended to the wound himself and it did not heal.  He was in the Emergency Room and I admitted him to the hospital; hours later, he was still in the ER as there were no vacant rooms in the hospital.  The next day, as I came on the service, I saw this poor young man still in the ER, his sweatshirt over his face as he tried to sleep in an armchair in a hallway of the ER.  I examined him as unintrusively as I could, told him the plan might be to operate and that that was the orthopedic surgeon's call, that I would continue the antibiotics.  He was multi-tattooed and young.  As I stepped away, I heard it: "Thank you, Dr. Weiss."  I told Scott and this patient later that there was no more powerful elixir than that.  

We got to see our children and their sig others, always a treat.  A couple of Naren's plays were staged, as was Rebecca's.  Nat and James came up to see "2 brown porters" and all enjoyed it.  We were privileged to meet the cast and the director, and some of their family members, and consider that one of the highlights of this year.  We also had lovely neighbors in beautiful PA, also a privilege.  

We have returned home to India.  We have visited my father, tried to increase his mobility and realised that each person has their idea of what is good for themselves.  My father is a retired surgeon and understands the importance of walking; I think it exhausts him too much.  So we contented ourselves with telling his caregiver to help him do some exercises.

One of the women that the Banyan rescued years ago had her child with her.  The B helped the child study, she is now a Master's degree holder and has joined the B to work.  She met a young man at the B and they got married on Sunday.  We were there with bells on, enjoying all the festivities.  Apparently, the groom's mother is a wonderful sort, full of love and kindness and good insight.  Vandana, one of the 2 founders of the B, is happy that the Banyan child, the bride, has married into such a family, who will also take care of the bride's mother.  Nice when such stories happen.

And happen they do, quite routinely at the B.  It's nice to be part of such a place.

Have a very lovely week.  For those who celebrate it, happy Thanksgiving!

Until next week -

R