Living your Legacy
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 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
Stages Of Life, And How To Live To Get To The Last One .
This year, I am starting my ninth decade of life. And I am proud of each of them. More often than not, people in my age look back on their lives. It’s nothing new. Solon, a Greek lawgiver, and a philosopher, (they all were), divided life into ten seven-years cycles.
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
The Resurrections: Man and His Dog
As promised, I have a big announcement to make. The second part of my trilogy following the Murano family saga is coming. It will be ready for Christmas. In the first part, Pals Forever, Dr. Murano created a perfect family. Or so he thought. The second part, The Resurrections, sees
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
Readers Appreciation Party Was a Big Success
Pals Forever is the first book in my trilogy about the life of Dr. Murano. First big chapter in the Murano family saga. And it deserved a proper send out into the real world of readers. I thought we’ve accomplished our goal last Friday. I named the book launch event
Twenty Things to Do in Your Thirties to Be a Happy Father for the Rest of Your Life.
“When a father gives to his son, both laugh; when a son gives to his father, both cry.” Anonymous “My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, ‘You’re tearing up the grass.’ ‘We’re not raising grass,’ Dad would reply.
Is Loneliness Good? Would You Rather Party or Pray?
Our family is blessed. Bonnie’s parents just celebrated their 71st wedding anniversary. What a joy! Or is it? They are still fortunate to be together and stay relatively healthy. And to have a devoted family. But it’s fascinating to think about how the old age changes your social life. I
Mentors or How to Get Further in Life
Early morning on any beach is a magic time. But the Caribbean beaches are special. The best I’ve ever seen are in the Turks and Caicos. Their sand is as white as snow. Fine Carrara marble powder. Not even a speckle of dirt. It is so fine, you feel like
My Gratitude
I’m writing this a few hours into 2021. And what a year it was. Turmoil. Conflicts. I don’t remember such a consequential year during my lifetime. The monumental presidential election. A huge dynamic in national and world economy and politics. Unprecedented deception in the media. Everything topped by a monstrous
Francis Robicsek, the Renaissance Man.
He was Hungarian. His name, however, like the name of the city he was born, Miskolc, was Slavic. He came from the part of Eastern Europe which for a long time was dominated culturally and politically by the Austrians, and the borders between the nations were in constant flux. He
The Plague
The choice seemed perfect. I read James Michener’s Hawaii while on vacations on Kauai and his Poland––knowing history of this country well. Reading Camus’ masterpiece now, when coronavirus is raging, lets me the current events with a different acuity. I don’t plan to relate the story in more detail. Enough
We are Made out of Memories
I love memories. I love good memories. I also love the bad ones, although not as much. They are all parts of my life. I’ve lived in many towns and cities on both continents and cherish visiting all the old places. And I often surprise myself, knowing how many people
We Should Eulogize People Before a Person Dies
There was a time during my tenure as a Chief of Staff when quite a few of our doctors died. Attending the funerals wasn’t that uncommon, but that time seemed like more than usual. I attended most of them, not ex officio, but because they were my friends. The ceremonies
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
Our Dreams after Fifty Years, A Reunion
I just came back from Warsaw. My old Alma Mater honored us with the repeat of our graduation ceremony, from fifty-years back. Fifty years! I could remember us at our first one. Imagine a bunch of twenty-something boys and girls, all anxious to put the recently acquired knowledge to use,
Transition to the Third Trimester of Life
Just imagine… Imagine yourself walking in an upscale suburban neighborhood. It’s late evening. Through the bay window, you can see a well lit but otherwise darkly furnished room. It looks like an old-fashioned library. There is a late middle age man sitting in a partially unfolded recliner with his elbows
The Physicians with an Artistic Mind
Recently, I came across of a unique book. This work is a tribute by Dr. Gosta Iwasiuk to his father Vladimir. It’s an anthology of the works of a person, who created a magnificent body of paintings and sculptures. In his spare time, he was also a physician. Born just
How the Poles Got Screwed Again by Our Allies
The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. Sun Tzu Imagine the invisible war. The countries fight for their lives without weapons, soldiers, casualties, and without the property damage. At least not in the conventional meaning. The borders are imaginary.The fighters sit behind giant supercomputers and never
Finding Family Roots in Poland
“A tree without roots is just a piece of wood.”― Marco Pierre White Wouldn’t you love to meet your great-grandparents? Or at least, as an invisible man hover above their farm and watch them for a day or so? I would. Their farm in still there. But the only thing left
Learning from the past and about finding out my roots
History gives us a sense of proportion: it’s an antidote to a lot of unfortunately human trends like self-importance and self-pity. David McCullough Historian and Pulitzer prize winner. But first, one has to know his history. Here is a typical story I hear so often. We meet and after the initial
My First Book Club Event in Briar Chapel
After writing more or less seriously for several years, I am fascinated by a question: ‘why people write?’ I know why I started. My father already died, and my mother was getting older. They both went through hell in their lives together. Father didn’t talk much, but mother was a
The Best Father’s Day Present Ever.
During my years in California, while in a private practice of cardiovascular surgery, I was elected the president of the local chapter of the American Heart Association. During one of the meetings, a late middle-aged woman came to me and said, “I know you!” I said, “You do!” thinking of
Best Dish in the Polish Kitchen
After WWII, countries in Europe were deluged with art inspired by the monstrosities of the conflict. Despite a relatively small population, Poland was presented with one of the highest casualty lists, the highest as a percentage of the total population of the nations. No wonder that the resulting impression on
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
Saying Goodbye to the Father
The surgery was long and complicated. Then Dr. Murano had to take the patient back to the OR for bleeding. It was well after midnight when he got home. The ICU nurse kept calling him with the updates, and it didn’t sound like his patient was stable. Blood pressure was
What’s Your Biggest Life Achievement?
The flight was early in the morning, but I had zone 1 for boarding. The cabin seemed empty, but on the way to my seat, I noticed her sitting next to mine. She was elderly (wasn’t she my age?) and with a perpetual smile on her face, she reminded me
Non-monetary Value of a Cup of Coffee
It was 6:45 in the morning, and I was standing in line to pay for my cup of coffee in Duke’s cafeteria. The Weekly vascular conference was just about to begin. In front of me there was a young man, may be 30 years old. He was dressed in a
Motherhood Is The Most Important Job on Earth
If evolution really works, how come mothers have only two hands? Milton Berle In motherhood, pay is lousy, if you are talking of monetary things. But payoff is priceless in so many other things. Roxane Henke God could not be everywhere, so He created mothers Jewish proverb I was recently
Living in New York or a Panegyric on My Daughter
If you can make it there… Fred Ebb Heralded as the capital of the world. The biggest port of entry for immigrants to the United States. I know, forty years ago, I flew to New York on a big Pan Am 747 sitting next to a catholic nun. It was
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
How to Be Appreciated, and not Flattered
“The difference between appreciation and flattery? That is simple. One comes from the heart out, the other from the teeth out. One is unselfish; the other selfish. One is universally admired; the other universally condemned”. Dale Carnegie When I was Chief of Staff in my hospital, we had an unusual
What do We Have in Common with Wayne Gretzky
They completed “The Trade” 25 years ago. The Edmonton Oilers moved Wayne Gretzky to Los Angeles Kings at the height of his hockey career. Canadian national hero was playing in Canada no more. He found out of this decision a few hours after winning Stanley Cup in 1988 from his father,
How Much is Enough
A few years ago, at the heyday of our professional efficiency and high reimbursement for open heart surgery, I had a conversation with one of my fellow cardiac surgeons. We talked about how much we enjoyed this specialty and all the perks coming with it. At the certain point we
What to Do in The Retirement, Starting To Write
This is my first post and I was looking for the best way to introduce myself. I thought that a good way was to be interviewed by somebody who knows me well. Since no one volunteered, I decided to interview myself. Here we go (WSN are my initials). Me: Why
