Atul Gawande is one of my favorite medical writers. His oeuvre is a great place to begin when you are interested in exploring narrative medicine because it is thoughtful and thought-provoking, but still very accessible to the modern reader. He is the author of several books, including Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, from which this essay is adapted.
In “The Best Possible Day,” he writes about the death of a close family friend. He describes experiences very familiar to many of us as physicians, the feeling of helplessness and hopelessness when someone is given a terminal diagnosis. The story, which I highly encourage you to read, ends with the friend living out her “best possible day” as she learns to accept her death and makes the most of the last 6 weeks of her life.
The prompt for this week is this:
“Write about your best possible day.”
You have 7 minutes. See you next week.
References:
- Gawande, A. (2014). The Best Possible Day. [online] New York Times. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/05/opinion/sunday/the-best-possible-day.html %5BAccessed 27 Nov. 2019].
For those of you who would like to see my writing from last week, here it is in its unedited glory. Seven minutes on why I am grateful to practice medicine.
Gratitude in Pediatrics
Each new baby’s
fingers and toes
Curling around my index finger,
Proof of their neuronal maturity,
A reflex.
But to me, it’s a handshake,
A hello.
Accompanied by a reflexive smile.
Because why not pretend it’s just for me?
And keep it in my pocket
Saved for a rainy day.
To watch a child grow
Is to witness a miracle.
To see myself,
A patient,
A student
Learn is to witness
That highest achievement of humanity.
And to share it,
Well,
Like a nursing mother,
But without the milk,
I feel the oxytocin.
For I nourish with knowledge,
With gentleness,
With space.
And what a blessing
To have the nourishment to give
In the first place.
And to be surrounded
By those with their own gifts,
Nourishing me as well.
Writing for Wellness 