It Takes Something Away From You

When someone asks me about what it is like to be a doctor, a funny thing happens.  My eyes start to water and the words catch.It's rather comical how emotional I can be.  I have been all my life.  I sometimes feel the sadness flow through me.  I am a sieve.  Whether it be a touching book or a sappy TV commercial.  I cry.  Silently.  Often missed by others in the room, the tear ducts in my eyes become overactive.  And it eventually stops.I used to be embarrassed.  I used to cover my eyes and wipe the tears dry before anyone could see. I don't anymore.  As so often in life, I find it much more empowering to own my "weaknesses", embrace it.  This is who I am.  I'm comfortable with that.  In fact, I enjoy it. We can fight the inevitable pain of life, or we can bask in it.  When we allow the skin to become penetrable, emotion soaks right through us, and then out.  We become free once again.I am no stranger to the sufferings in life.  My profession, my calling, requires that I squat in the most uncomfortable climes.  I have watched hundreds die. I have walked in moments after the last breath has faded, and I have felt the spirit leave the room.  I tell people often that the end is near.And I have done so all these years without shedding a single tear.It is only when someone asks me about how it feels to be a doctor, that the emotion returns.  Here, away from the examining room and as...
Source: In My Humble Opinion - Category: Primary Care Authors: Source Type: blogs