“When you retire, what remains of your medical life is your reputation and your contributions. All well and good to be envied for what you amassed. Better, I think, to be respected and admired for the things you did and the way you did them.”
“Most physicians leave a mark on their community, hospital, specialty, colleagues and their trainees. Some, however, leave a stain. One hopes physicians who exploited their healer’s status and privilege strictly for financial gain will be appropriately judged in the afterlife.”
“Staying sane for an entire medical career is not luck-it’s takes dogged persistence and constant self-reminding that you are not locked in a bank vault in Stockholm.”
“A lifetime of medicine is a chapter book. Page upon page of pathos, conflict, drama, joy, absurdity and humor.”
“A sense of humor is like having a reliable and endlessly renewable source of fresh water while hiking in the desert.”
“Think of it (retirement) like tapering a steroid or an opioid. You want to be clearheaded and unimpaired when you walk out the door for the last time.”
“Retirement is something that evolves because new variables are always being introduced. Health concerns, for ourselves and those we love, marriages, the arrival of grandchildren, unexpected deaths or departures-takes us in new directions, imbue us with new goals, higher hopes and different dreams.”
I could not agree more.
Huge thanks to Dr. Waters for sharing his wisdom.
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