Reading of Anna Karenina and my thoughts thereafter
Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Lev Tolstoy, beginning of Anna Karenina One of my biggest passions is reading. Ever since quitting medical practice, my schedule is more flexible, and I can allocate more time to it. I love to hold a real book in my hand, […]
The joy of having identical twins
When I was working in California in private practice of cardiovascular surgery, I was elected the president of the local chapter of the American Heart Association. On one of the meetings, a late middle-aged woman came to me and said, “I know you!”. I said, “You do” thinking of her telling me how good a […]
How do we learn, and are the teachers important?
A few weeks ago, one of my daughters helped me to solve a problem I had with my blog. I wasn’t surprised, just nicely pleased. I texted it to her and asked; ‘Is it your genes or Cornell?”. She answered: “Both, Dad, both”. There is ongoing discussion, what is more important in personal development: heredity […]
Are your clothes important?
“Do clothes make the doctor?” is a recent article in a local paper. Author Elisabeth Dreesen works as a surgeon at UNC Chapel Hill. She writes about the appropriateness or not of the way of dressing up by residents in her department. She concludes: “We live in a world of brief encounters. ………we need to […]
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. Every year, on 1st of […]
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 and Italy are. Everything started […]
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 run of bad luck with […]
How to Help Children to Cherish Our Heritage
Recently, I am reading a lot about people getting interested in their roots. Usual avenues to trace them are through Ellis Island records, Mormon Church archives and popular websites such as ancestry.com, genealogy.archives.org and so on. It is becoming quite a popular pastime, and I see many retired persons in the library doing just […]
How to Raise Your Children, so They’ll Love You Back
Give me a child until he is seven, and I will give you a man. Francis Xavier, co-founder of the Jesuit order There is a story told me by my Father. It was very popular in Poland, when we were run by communist Russia after WWll. To help women with a heavy work schedule in […]
