Cell 2 Soul: The Humane Health Care Blog

The Overachiever's Simple Guide to a Sweeter Life

"Do you know what the difference is between an overachiever and a corpse? What the former calls his résumé, the latter recognizes as an obituary.

An overachiever believes that if he or she only looks hard enough, seeks diligently enough, reflects long enough, and suffers enough, that happiness and success will eventually come. The Overachievers Simple Guide is for those of us who have come to recognize the fallacy of this belief, and wonder, what now?

"This 25 page booklet is about everything else there is in life, aside from awesomeness and achievement. It is for the overachiever who knows some really awesome people, and exactly for that reason, doesn’t want to be them. OASG is not going to tell you anything you don’t already know. It is only going to tell you what you already know but haven’t yet heard. It is not meant for the fearless daredevil, those unique individuals who don't care if they die young or old, alone or among loved ones."

O.A. Chiever, an old friend, sent me a link to his book which is now available free or for 99 cents at the Kindle Store.  He wrote: "For fun, I have put together a few short essays into a 25 page ebook, which I've self-published and is now available on Amazon for Kindle. (If you don't have one, you can always read it online, or on your ipad/iphone)." 

For those of you who are interested, it's an amazing read.  Takes ~ one hour.  Get OSGSL If you want to read it, but dont have a Kindle, iPhone or iPad, write me and I'll see if Dr. Chiever can send you a copy.

On Being the Kaddish

"The Kaddish is a prayer that is recited at every Jewish service to honor the memory of those who died. I was curious about what it would mean to 'Be the Kaddish.' I wondered: How does a person become a prayer?"

This short essay is Rabbi Hannah Orden reflections on Death and Mourning.  All of us will gain valued insight.  Download Memory is a Blessing

Rabbi Hannah Orden is the spiritual leader of Temple B’Nai Israel in Laconia, New Hampshire.  You may learn more about her from her website.

Amerika, America, Ameriqa

Who are you and where to do come from?

Illustrator, author and designer Maira Kalman  has a new column iI the NY Times called  "And the Pursuit of Happiness."  It deals with American democracy, will appear on the last Friday of each month.  Here's a sample:

  Your time spent with this amazing column will be mind-expanding and rewarding!

"And the Pursuit of Happiness"

Reading Binges

by Nicholas Davies.  British Medical Journal, 1989:299;1209-1210

If there is nothing to read in heaven, I am not sure I want to go.     Aristides (Joseph Epstein)

As summer approaches in these northern climes, one looks forward to an annual holiday at the beach or in the woods.  For some, "too long in cities pent" it will be an opportunity to spend time with great literature.  In 1989, Nicholas Davies published a memorable essay on this subject in the British Medical Journal.  Since it can be hard to access, we have attached a pdf here: Download Reading Binges 1

You will enjoy this piece.  Perhaps is will help you to crystallize a reading program for your upcoming summer's continuous education.

Reading Binges is all the more poignant since Davies died in a plane crash not long after the piece was published.

(Photo from NY Times article on Summer Reading)

The Primacy of Soul

This four minute video addresses the essence Soul.  Parker Palmer, a highly respected writer, teacher and activist, likens Soul to a wild animal --  shy, free, living independently in the wilderness.  If you have 4 quiet minutes, this will be a treat.

I learned about this from the Maine DartmouthFamily Medicine Blog. 

Janamashtami

On Krishna's birthday last Sunday (Janamashtami  in India) we found this arresting colour change in a hibiscus in our garden.

It is  even more interesting because after that, the plant has again resumed its daily production of pure white flowers.

Until this colour change happens once again, perhaps on the same day or another special occasion, I shall just call this an interesting coincidence and will not attach any religious significance to it.

Rakesh Biswas
Bhopal, India

[One never knows.  The gods work in strange ways.  The Editor]

A Genie, the Bottle and Nirvana

"Jill Bolte Taylor (JBT) was a neuroscientist working at Harvard’s brain research center when she experienced nirvana.

She did it by having a stroke.

On Dec. 10, 1996, Dr. Taylor, then 37, woke up in her apartment near Boston with a piercing pain behind her eye. A blood vessel in her brain had popped. Within minutes, her left lobe — the source of ego, analysis, judgment and context — began to fail her. Oddly, it felt great."

The New York Times Journal of Medicine had a fine piece about JBT on Sunday, May 25, 2008.  You can access this article here:  JBT NYT

In addition, TED has a presentation by JBT on their web site.  It is 18 minutes long, but it is fascinating and worth listening to:  My Stroke of Insight

What are your thoughts about this?  This is controversial.  It touches on the connection between Cells to Soul which is a concern of ours.

The Experience of A Loss

These images are from a series of prints completed during the months following the death of my father. He became very ill very quickly.  It was a difficult time. The evaluation and treatment did not make sense to me. When I became aware of his illness, I began a written journal. But, I am a visual artist. I interpret events in my life using pigments and mark making. The first sketches were completed in response to photographs of normal cells of the body. The next were drawn in response to photographs of diseased cells. This work Felt forces. This process also made no sense.  I put it aside.

During his illness, we spent time talking about the current events, family events, and getting through the day. I kept a rosary in my pocket or in my hands. Shortly after his death, I decided to print beads. I used the beads as stamps. I embedded them in homemade clay and printed the plates. Finally, this was making sense. It felt comfortable. The rosary beads were the inspiration for this work. I look beyond this. Maybe it was comfortable because beads have been used for many generations in many cultures. Maybe it was because beads have been used for adornment, trade, prayer, and meditation.

When I look at the images as a group, I have glimpses of the journey that we took. I remember conversations. Some of the images even hint at the organic cells that I had tried to represent earlier in the experience. It is my hope that others will see these images and catch a glimpse of their experiences. I also hope that they will find their own creative ways to experience a loss.

Ritamarie Moscola, MD, MPH, NMD studied at The Johns Hopkins University and The Maryland Institute College of Art. She lives in Bedford, NH

The Last Lecture

"What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? For Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch, the question isn't rhetorical -- he's dying of cancer." (from WSJ article)

Ben Barankin sent us the link to an inspiring article about a Carnegie Mellon Proffesors:  "Last Lecture."

The article will be available on the Wall Street Journal's web site for another five days (but those with access to a college or university library may be able to access it longer).

This is a "must read, must see" for all of us -- so please take the time.

Dr. Pausch', a Carnegie Mellon University computer-science professor, had been invited to give his "last Lecture; but the speech was more than just an academic exercise. The 46-year-old father of three has pancreatic cancer and expects to live for just a few months. His lecture, using images on a giant screen, turned out to be a rollicking and riveting journey through the lessons of his life.

In this Electonic Age the WSJ is not the only show in town.  Professor Pausch's oration can be viewed on YouTube  It is well worth the time.

The concept of one's last lecture is a valid one.  We can think of what this would mean for us to deliver and whose "Last Lecture" we'd particularly like  to hear.

Fuji-san: View from MA

Elaine Adler sent this beautiful view of Mt. Fuji from her Lexington, Massachusetts garden.  Her riposte to the Sept. 1 Fuji post.

Correction: I was just poking around on the web and happened to click your blog.  Surprised to see the description of my photo.   Sorry if I misled you -- and now anyone who happens to read the clip.

The photo I sent was taken at Fujidera, a Buddhist temple in the foothills of Mt. Fuji.  It is one of the many photos from my tour of Buddhist temples in Japan posted at http://www.flickr.com/photos/pixelaine/collections.  It rained the entire first week of our trip, and we never did see Mt. Fuji despite our proximity to it.  At Fujidera, I asked the resident priest where Fuji would be if she were visible.  As we stood on the porch overlooking the temple's garden, he pointed.  The photo I sent to you is where Fuji would have been had she not been hiding in the clouds.  Even in good weather, there would be no view of Fuji from my garden. Elaine Adler