Proust

The title refers to "Remembrance of Things Past". I got a phone message this morning from a woman who I first met in nursery school in 1956. The 40th reunion of the high school that I attended during 10th grade is coming up this fall. I left this school and graduated from a private school. There were 2 reasons for my choice. I wanted a more academically challenging education and I was a nerd/geek. My interests included history, mathematics and science. Being tall and skinny, and very average in the looks department sealed my status. My few friends were the other brains and dweebs at the public high school. The private school I attended was a male only bastion of the WASP elite. My interests were nurtured and I received a first rate education.

Reunions of any kind hold little appeal for me. I have attended my wife's 25th college reunion and the 25th high school reunion of the school that drove me out. A dear friend who graduated from Hometown High wanted to experience reunion(ing) with the very people who ostracized us. My friend's husband had zero desire to attend, so I went as her date.

The same "girls" who barely acknowledged my existence as a teen, now seemed enamored to be reacquainted. Being an MD, driving a $40,000 car, wearing an Italian made suit, and sporting a Rolex watch (a gift from my beautiful wife) made me attractive.

The experience of this reunion strengthened my philosophy of never going backwards. Trying to maintain the ties of one's youth will not keep you young. Embracing the present and anticipating the challenges of the future are the key to a vibrant life. Study the past, but don't live in the past.

Medical knowledge is ever expanding. To remain effective as a physician requires a great deal of time and effort. The history of medicine is a particular interest of mine. The pioneers of modern medicine laid the foundation that is still relevant today. The eponymous diseases such as Crohn's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's are windows into our heritage as physicians.

Being the senior attending in my ER group is a never ending source of stimulation. Bright, eager ER docs, fresh from their residencies join our practice. The ways of the force are mysterious. Much to learn, do they have. Yoda am I. These young ER docs encourage me to keep up with the latest information and tools of Emergency Medicine.

This year we welcomed a new doctor. He completed his Emergency Medicine residency just weeks before joining our group. He is smart, articulate, compassionate and hard working. He also is so young, that he had not been born when I was the new ER doc, fresh from my residency, 30 years ago. I was excited to learn that he is a second generation ER doc as his mother is also a member of our guild.

No reunion for the world's oldest ER doc. I would rather hang with my current posse, than reminisce with the spectres of my past.