Navigating Change
Spirituality, The Other Side Of The Human Life
Peter Attia’s Outlive is for me a personal manual to the human body. But there is another aspect of being alive. And is far more fascinating. I got interested in Wayne Dyer’s writings in the 90′, in the second trimester of my life. I had a busy cardiac surgical practice,
How to measure your physical progress in the 80s
If you can’t measure, you can’t manage People still argue, who said it If you have a goal, and commit a significant portion of your energy and time to getting healthy, you have to see the results of your efforts. You have to be able to measure them. And the
How to keep staying vertical in your 80s
In mens sana corpore sano W zdrowym ciele zdrowy duch A healthy mind in a healthy body The Romans knew. Peter Attia calls it the Centenarian Decathlon. I call it long-term planning and persistence. You have to know where to go and how to get there. That’s what I want
The goals for fitness at 80
When I was 40, my financial advisor designed our investment and estate plan until the age of 90. It’s ridiculous, I thought. At that time, I worried about the next 10 years. But now I know how thoughtful he was. When we are younger, we don’t think of our health
My New World Symphony in ‘C’
Just something came to my mind. When I arrived to this country, I first lived in Charlotte, in North Carolina. To start my surgical internship and residency, I traveled to Cincinnati. From there I moved to Columbia, which is in South Carolina. Next for me was to go back to
Peter Attia’s ‘Outlive’, a User’s Manual to Life
We all want to live forever. But we also know that our lives in the third trimester won’t be as joyful and carefree like in our first. And not that healthy like in our second. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Peter Attia’s monumental book explains how to
Readers Appreciation Party, The Pictorial
This post is a followup on the one published last week. My daughter Megan Jurik took the images, Bonnie and I selected and embedded them. I promised to meet again for the celebration of the second book in the Murano family saga. The Resurrections, The Man and His Dog will
Gösta Iwasiuk, M.D. a friend and a Renaissance Man
We had been born a few months apart, a few hundred kilometers from each other. We both have Slavic surnames. Both became surgeons. We had immigrated to the United States, and lived almost all our professional lives in Ventura County, just a few miles from each other. We even worked
‘Genius on the Edge’, by Gerald Imber, M.D.
I wrote about Dr. William Halsted’s life achievements, and about his vices, in the post https://witoldniesluchowski.com/how-did-a-cocaine-addict-change-surgery-in-america/. The book, Genius on the Edge, is, however, about a different aspect of his life story. It’s about how, out of nowhere, there appeared in Baltimore a medical excellence center. A world-class institution, and
Does a Stressful Job Shorten Your Life?
“It’s not stress that kills us, it’s our reaction to it.”―Hans Selye, Hungarian-Canadian endocrinologist, author of “The Stress of Life” Let’s see. Michael DeBakey died 2 months short of 100,Denton Cooley was 96,Francis Robicsek – 94,Domingo Liotta – 97,Viking Björk – 90,Alan Carpentier, alive at 89,Thomas Fogarty, alive at 88,Dwight
Life Lessons
The pessimist complains of the wind; The optimist expects it to change; The realist adjusts the sails. William Arthur Ward
It’s not the critic who counts
I see this everywhere. The commentators. Political, economic, sports, social, scientific. They all make a living from someone else’s ideas, work and sweat. Someone else’s years of work, preparations, and risk-taking. Austerities. And then exposing his or her creations to the world. The commentators can make or break your career.
A Word About Puzzles
Recently a friend of mine wrote his first blog. https://puzzlingdotblog.wordpress.com/ We started our conversations in jacuzzi in our fitness club. They were as quirky as unusual was our meeting place. The noise in hot tub limits parts of conversations. But you know from the beginning what some people are born
My Journey as a Writer
How did I become a writer? By the end of my hospital life, I’ve decided what I wanted in the retirement. With a sudden ‘But of course!’ writing became a major interest of mine. In time, it gradually dominated most of my days’, and sometimes nights’, hours. The learning process
Announcing My New Website
First, it was this lingering and then growing feeling that the old website just, well, got old. We lived together for five years, and it served me faithfully, just like my first car. But then I moved on with my writing and the time came for an upgrade. I decided
How Many of the Earthly Possessions Do We Need
While they were getting older, I realized my parents’ future looked grim in Poland. The communism maintained its tight grip on the economy and politics. The unrest past the brewing point and spilled on the streets. Everyday survival got to be a challenge. Moreover, their medical care was compromised. They
Forty-five years of cardiac surgery
In my gym, I meet the best people, and have the most interesting conversations, in the jacuzzi. It’s located in a corner of the large pool area and surrounded by a huge bay window extension. The sun is abundant, the water seems tropical, and, if I would drink, I would
Millennials and the retirement
“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant, I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” Mark Twain I should know something about
How to Deal with Anger like Buddha
One day, the Buddha and a large following of monks and nuns were passing through a village. The Buddha chose a large shade tree to sit beneath, so the group could rest for a while out of the heat. He often chose times like these to teach, and so he
How to Measure Success in the Life of a Surgeon
Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. Albert Schweitzer But how to get there? It was the second half of the 19th century. In Albany, New York, a middle age woman developed sharp,
How to Treat Tree Wounds
Our lot in Briar Chapel was covered with trees. The battle with builders was tough, but we were able to spare ten decent, tall trees. I had to almost throw myself in the path of their bulldozer… (just kidding, we could negotiate and put ribbons on a few trees). But
Courage and the Price of Integrity
It was 1942, three years after the German invasion of Poland. In the village of Rekowka, 90 miles south of Warsaw, German troops appeared in a house occupied by two families, Skoczylas and Kosiorow. Apparently acting on a tip, they were looking for Jews. Indeed, there were six Jewish people
Can We Be Sued for the Real Life Stories?
There is quite a typical disclaimer printed in most of the novels. One can find it as close to the front page as possible. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, descriptions, dialogue, plot, assessment concepts, test questions and charts, settings and incidents are products of the author’s
The Story as My Bio on the Webpage
The book is close to being published. The front cover is ready, just waiting for a final sign-off. The website is under construction. I am getting acutely aware that writing is only half of the work. The other half is marketing. Unless you have a well-known name. The first thing
Walking a Fine Line with the Patient’s Family Before Surgery
Dr. Jack Murano was sitting in his office with the patient’s family in front of him. Their father was in the ICU awaiting a complex heart operation. The older man’s heart was not good, and his cardiologists couldn’t do much more for him. Heart surgery was his last resort, and
The Perennial Question for the People Who Emigrate
A few weeks ago, I traveled to Chicago to meet my friends from Poland. We are all physicians, all surgeons. We were trained by one of the most prominent Polish professors of surgery, a very well-educated, renaissance man, speaking five or six languages. Prof. Nielubowicz was in turn trained in
A Way to Gain Friends
A year or so before planning retirement and not being completely sure to stay in California or to go to North Carolina, I attended a vascular conference in New York. There I approached the chief of the vascular department in the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. I told
The Best Way to Lose Weight
I was coming down in the elevator after the Duke vascular conference had finished. Halfway down, the car stopped and two men in blue scrubs entered. One, quite large, said : “Man, I just weighed myself. 260 pounds is too much.” There was a look of concern in the other
Retirement Is a Perfect Time for More Education
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication Leonardo da Vinci Friday morning vascular department conferences are special for me. For several reasons. Firstly, it’s the time. The conference starts at 7am. I usually get up at 5am, get ready, read emails and news. Car drive is lonely and quiet. No comparison to
What Poetry Can Do to You
I am not confused, I am just well mixed Robert Frost I was waiting in front of the elevator after Duke’s vascular conference has ended. I pushed the desired floor button, waiting for a car to come. Then I noticed a poem displayed on the wall between the doors and
Look Back on My Surgical Career
Does it ever happen to you, that after a conversation or event is over, an untimely thought comes to mind? Something you should say or do, and you didn’t think of it at a proper time? Then suddenly you do, and now obviously it’s too late. Or somebody said a
Addictions and How Do They Influence Our Lives
“Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic, or alcohol or morphine or idealism C.G. Yung Pete Rose, the greatest ever baseball hitter, was banned from entering the Hall of Fame because of gambling addiction. There are asterisks next to Barry Bonds’ all time home runs record
What’s Better: Being Smart, Intelligent or Wise?
It’s not that I am so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer. Albert Einstein Be as smart as you can, but remember that it is always better to be wise than to be smart. Alan Alda A smart man only believes half of which he hears, a
Let’s Make Showing Respect a Part of Culture Again
I was traveling recently. Hertz’s bus from car rental drop off to the terminal was crowded. I threw the luggage on the rack and stood by. Then I heard, “Would you like to take my seat?”. I looked back. There was a man in his late 30s, may be early
Life Is About the Stories.
Moving to new, different communities involves meeting new friends. A few months ago we met our neighbor from across the street, we will call him Ernie. He used to be a car shop owner. Is also retired, just much more than me. We visit occasionally and tell stories over a
When Do We Start Getting Old
You don’t stop laughing when you grow old, you grow old when you stop laughing. George Bernard Shaw While in Poland, I had a close friend, Andrzej. His father was a barber and used to cut my hair. When I was in the first grade, my friend was in fourth.
…And Why Their Parents Don’t
In my previous post, I described scenarios in which young people are leaving the countries of their birth. Now is the time to contrast the older generation. During my stay in the United States, I was carefully watching the life of my parents in Poland. We sent letters as often
Why Young People are Leaving the Country of Their Parents
Italy: The Nation That crushes Its Young. (NYT, Oct 30, 2013) Italy Breaks Your Heart. (NYT, Oct 26, 2013) These two recent articles published in the New York Times captured my attention. They both comment on the exodus of Italian young people, particularly males, and their travel to France, England
The Age of Highest Achievements
It is fair to say, that coming to my age, most of the people look back and contemplate what was the highest achievement of their life, what was they being most proud of. Was it a professional career? Family live? Athletic accomplishments? Maybe a significant discovery? Or social connections? And
About Chrysanthemums, and the Importance of Symbols
Yesterday, Bonnie brought home two bunches of flowers. One was her favorite sunflowers. The other flowers were still in green buds, not opened yet. I asked what they were, she said “chrysanthemums”. I said “what?” , she repeated, “Chrysanthemums, why do you ask?”. So I told her about our tradition.
How to Love Your Country
I love Italy! I am fascinated by its roots, history, culture and customs. The landscape is unique and the people very friendly. I took Latin at school and recently learned Italian. Each time I travel there, the experience is unforgettable. Most people don’t know how strong ties between Poland
“The Paradox of Choice” on TED is an Example of How to Control Your Mind.
A few days ago, Chris sent me a link to Barry Schwartz’s lecture on TED…”Take a look, very provocative” he said. And it was. The speaker was talking about the negative effects of too many choices on human life. Too many choices increase paralysis and decrease satisfaction. Having too many
What Do We Do for Living; How Money Flows in the Society
Some men wrest a living from nature with their hands; this is called work. Some men wrest a living from those who wrest a living from nature with their hands: this is called trade. Some men wrest a living from those who wrest a living from those who wrest a
