A Re-Post

I can't believe it's been almost a year since I ended the first semester of the beginning of the rest of my life. I can't believe it's been over a year since I began this crazy wonderous journey of exploration of the human body. I still don't understand it. I don't think I ever will. If anything, I've just learned to accept and appreciate that which our Creator has given us. The following is a re-post from last December:

Two Lives (an ode to Frank)

by Andrew J. Lipman

Sometimes we wanted to know your name, but we gave you one.
I guess that means that you almost had two identities, really two lives:
One with your family, the other with your students.
Many will want to speak about your tremendous gift--and it is.
Others will want to extol the virtues of studying the human body.
I want to share with you some of my transgressions.
I would be lying if I said I always came to class...
Lying if I said at all times I kept you covered to protect your dignity...
Remiss if I did not mention that you made me nervous sometimes,
especially at the beginning of our relationship...
Did I sometimes fail to respect you as much as I should have? yes...
Was I ever angry with you? yes... Sometimes you hid things from me.
My teachers call that missing points on tests.
I call it not paying attention to you.
But, despite these transgressions, you won.
You did what you set out to do when you gave me your body.
William Carlos Williams said that
"in surgery, man sees what God never meant him to see."
His point is that very few of us have such a privilege.
I think it's the same with anatomy. Now, I can't go back.
I will always know what a human heart looks like. It's almost reflexive:
someone says an anatomic term and I can close my eyes and see it
--in fact, I see yours.
But I guess I'm most amazed by your total trust in strangers.
There are so few examples of this trust to guide us anymore.
I think it would be presumptuous to think you trusted me, personally, because I could have been anyone.
Instead, you gave completely of yourself to all,
in hopes of teaching us a lesson about trust.
You have set a precedent with me.
I've had my first intense relationship with a patient.
And that was you.


It's been a rough weekend and promises to be an even rougher week. I suppose I shouldn't complain; I have too much for which to be thankful. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving weekend, and I look forward to reading about your experiences...after my Path exam next Monday. Until then--it's "All You Ever Wanted to Know About What's Wrong with Your Mind and Then Some" for me. Hasta lunes!