What are you doing to slow down?

It is an unusual question. Have you been asked this before? Have you considered it in your daily life? Most folks do not actively think about slowing down, and to do so is contrary to everything that has value. No one wants a slower car, and the microwave tells us all we need to know about our desire to slow down in the kitchen. How about those handy time saving devices- food processor, ice maker, ice crusher, blender, dishwasher, etc. The presence of these devices in our lives informs the casual observer of our “need for speed”. The unbridled desire to get things done faster is all in the name of giving us free time to spend as we choose, to loosen the reins on our lives so that we can carve out a niche (after work, prior to bedtime, following dinner, pre-TV part of our world) to spend some quality time with those around us and the world in general. Is that what we do? Is that what we enjoy? Is this speed bringing you closer to your dream life, to the happiness and joy in your living? If not, why?

In the last two years, Nancy and I have taken the slow lane in life. We are the folks who are headed up the big hill with our blinkers on, windows down, looking at the world as we cruise by slowly. We have changed our concept of time, and in so doing, of the quality of the time that we spend. In preparing to move, we looked at things we could live without, and discovered (as the microwave that was 15 years old died) that you can get by without a fully stocked modern kitchen full of appliances. To be sure, we still have some, but we have asked ourselves if they are truly necessary, or simply convenient. It is the same question we apply to any new (or new to us) purchase. Is it needed or wanted. In doing so, we have found that many things really are wants, and that the promised time savings that is provided is really fictional. Sure you save time grating the cheese in the food processor, but the time spent cleaning it up afterward consumes the time saved. What have you saved? What have you lost?

In the kitchen, part of the joy of our time together is talking as the meal is being prepared, discussing the ingredients cleaning up after each other and generally making it a communal event. The time is not saved by the microwave; it is savored over the stove. It allows us to immerse ourselves in the moments. To smell the meal as it comes together, to enjoy watching someone cook, and reveling in their presence. It allows us to show our love for another. We take joy in our meal, the preparation, consumption, and clean-up; the entire process, together, as a family.

Our lives slow down when we take time to look at the world around us, take time to see the world as it is, right now, in its full beauty. We could do things more expediently on our farm with a tractor, but there are times when the use of a pitchfork and wheelbarrow is more satisfying. The way the mist lays over the trees like a blanket, the manner in which it alters the smell of the earth, the sound of the seagulls, is difficult to perceive from the seat of a tractor. The rich smell of the loam as the manure pile is turned and moved, the sight of the worms, fungi, and beetles rummaging through the compost is missed as the front end loader dives for the next scoop. That time to connect with the senses, to connect with the world cannot be appreciated at Mach-1.

So, what are you doing to slow down?

Merry Christmas Message

In our little corner of the world, Christmas morning has arrived with a little snow on the ground and a definite nip in the air. We have had a wonderful year on Prince Edward Island, and with the arrival of our second Christmas, we have come to appreciate and enjoy the warmth of our small town even more. The island has allowed us to slow the speed of our lives, given us the chance to look around, and reminded us of the joys of daily living. It has given us the chance to learn who makes our food and buy from them directly. It has given the opportunity to see the needs of others and help. It has reminded us of the spirit of community and encouraged our inclusion. It has released us from the bonds of time by asking us to sit for an hour when we drop by for a visit. In short, our little corner of the world has helped us return to the values and ideals that we believe in our core. It is our sincere hope for each of you, that this opportunity to return, refresh and re-energize comes you way, and in so doing renews the joys of your life and living.
Merry Christmas to you all….…..Gil and Nancy

A lot happens in a year……

Despite the truth the calendar flaunts, the fact that a year has elapsed since our arrival in Canada is surreal. In fact, it was only when I was answering a question about how long I have been on the island that the realization of times passage hit home.

“One year, as of today”

Granted, a few days has passed since that statement brought me to a stop in my tracks, but the time has allowed for reflection of the year passed and with that reflection comes today’s post.

Nancy asked me what I had learned in the last year. The easy answer was the use of standardized units for lab values (different from the US system), as well as the odd names for all those drugs that I spent time learning, plus a whole bevy of new ones that are not approved in the United States. However, that answer would not really get to the truth of the last year and while placating some, would not be satisfying.


Universal health care is good for people. I have come to more firmly believe in this over the past year. It is not perfect by any stretch, and I am sure there are other places that do this better than Canada, but the Canadian model of care, providing some baseline level of care for everyone is better than the system I came from. The Canadians value the community, and therefore they value coverage for everyone, even if it means that you pay more to cover someone else. They accept this fact and feel that the end result is worth the price. The end result is that people can be seen and treated before things get very bad. Now, the downside is that not everyone has a Family Physician or NP looking after them because there are doctor and nurse shortages here as there are everywhere else. However, you can be seen without worrying that it will break the bank, and you know that if you get sick, the cost of your recovery will not leave you in poverty before you are ever well. Things do not move at the speed of light, but that also means that the doctor or NP has to think twice about ordering some expensive test with a waiting list. Not everyone who has a migraine headache gets an MRI to rule out a cancer.

Practicing medicine is fun. With the removal of the bountiful paperwork that seemed to reproduce on my desktop in Texas, I have re-discovered that I enjoy practicing medicine and taking care of patients and their families. It is the same joyous feeling I had when I practiced in Dugway Utah, that feeling of connecting with and helping out patients every day I went to work. I do not feel like an overpriced administrator, and I certainly do not feel that I am being given paperwork as a way to discourage ordering a test/study. I get to sit down and talk with my patients, listen to their stories, and take care of their needs. The fact that my panel is stable means that I am seeing the same people over time, therefore, once I get them caught up on their prevention, I have additional free time to chat about other important things like their kids and grandkids, the state of their farm, the lobster catch, and of course commodity prices. This provides a great deal of insight into the inner working of the island world, and with that comes a deeper understanding of the inherent worries of the lives of the islanders. This knowledge allows me to understand them in ways I was never able in my previous practice. It has brought the joy back to my practice and that is invaluable beyond measure.

Life outside of medicine is important. The change in pace over the last year has been the most surprising thing on this journey. When we arrived last year we did not understand how people could spend all their time ‘Up West’ and rarely venture to Summerside or Charlottetown. The idea that you had everything that you needed ‘Up West’ seemed ludicrous when we arrived, after all, how anyplace could ever have ‘everything you needed’. The interesting thing about needs and wants is that once you have taken away the drumbeat of advertising, slowed down enough that you notice the change of the seasons, the number of things that require travel to obtain reduces on its own like a neglected garden. It is the deceleration of time which allows you to look beyond the demands of tomorrow to see the glories of today. As time slows, you can see the world, listen to the wind, and connect with the earth in a way that cannot be rushed. This modifies you sense of need, and provides a deep sense of fulfillment in your routine life that no longer has room for the unnecessary. You begin to live each day with joy and purpose, that is, you begin to look at your day differently. You ask yourself if the things you are doing are really worth spending one of your precious days upon the task, or if the time would not be better spent on something more important. These changes percolate into the way you work so that you begin to ask the same questions of the tedium that intrudes upon you day. Your realization of what is and is not important allows you to put medicine into a place in your life, no longer the shadow over your life.

The year has taught us many things, has slowed us down enough to look beyond the ordinary to see it for what it truly is, wondrous beyond the imagination. So much in such a short time, makes you wonder what we will discover next!