Appreciate

Today, I learned to appreciate things in its own context.

ONE
Now... I was taught from young that doctor saves lives. When one talk about "Life", I think of relationships. Thus, I always felt that to be a doctor needs lots of empathy, lots of passion & energy.

I had about 3 years of experience working with doctors. When I started, I had loads of admiration for doctors. Soon, I found that admiration & adoration just diminished. I often find them lack of emotions, the "get-it-done-and-over-with" feeling, the "I-just-want-to-get-by-the-day" impression. Often times, I wondered "Why be a doctor in the first place?"

Recommended by my friend, I went to ieatishootipost blog only to find out "Oh! This guy not only eat & shoot. He treats too!". I went into his medical Blog & was mesmerized by his passion & love for patients. His clinic's motto hit me straight to the heart - Treating patients not diseases. One could tell just from his introduction page that he has really put himself in the shoes of the young, adults & elderly patients.

After going through his blog, it's hard not to feel that "there is HOPE!", "Not all doctors are the same...". I began to question why did my impression of doctors got so low. I decided that perhaps, I had not tried understanding the doctors at that point of time.

1) First experience was in the Emergency Department
Before: I often felt that the doctors I was under was 'cold' & 'unfeeling'.
After reflecting: That is one crisis-managing department. Doctors there are all trained to focus on the trauma presented to them. No time to "build relationship" with patients. I believe that it may also be the place that most patients have lost their lives. With this, I reckoned that doctors, along the way, have to find a way to cope.

2) Next, I worked in a polyclinic
Before: Doctors are grouchy & unfeeling.
After reflecting: Who would agree with me that the only headache that polyclinics give us is the long waiting time? When I started working in the polyclinic, I found my temper to get shorter and shorter. I have never once received a compliment about the clinic. All I got was complains. Now, tell me, why can't doctors be grouchy?

Well, as for unfeeling... I started to wonder. How much feelings can they really give you know? They do see at least 70 patients a day!!

TWO
I ain't a mother to any child. However, I adore children! I will grab any opportunity to carry them, play with them, have fun with them. Other than play, there was only ONE time that I fed a pair of twins their dinner. That was the closest I get to feed them.

From Babyblues comics to friends' testimony, I know that feeding time is the messiest time!!! I would often advise my clients who are homemakers to "Take it easy", "Be more patient" or "Hey... they are really only kids."

Today, I was cleaning the mess my dad made over his meals. No doubt, times when I am not in a fantastic mood, I can get impatient. Really impatient. As I was cleaning, I thought to myself "It's one thing to tell people to be patient. It's another to be really patient."

Today, I learn to appreciate things in their context.