New power nap

I’ve taken power naps for years.

Within my immediate family, I was “famous” for taking a 10-minute nap, during the work week, almost immediately on returning home.

I would stretch out on my recliner, set an alarm, breathe deeply, acknowledge that I was about to drift off, and then do just that.

10-minutes later I was refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready for the remainder of the day.

There’s a lot written on power napping.

Some feel the ideal amount of time is 10-20 minutes, to obtain the benefits of sleep, without leaving you feeling groggy on awakening or adversely affecting your ability to later initiate or sleep through the night.

There’s even a frequently viewed video, by former Navy Seal Jocko Willink, on the 8-minute Navy Seal nap.

I never tried to do just 8-minutes-I always preferred to remain in double digits!

Since retiring, however, I haven’t set an alarm and my power naps have increased to about 40-60 minutes.

My work was typically stressful, so that’s no longer an excuse for napping.

I’ve been exercising a lot and have had aches and pains.

No one has asked (mainly, because no one has observed), but if they were to inquire, that’s currently my primary excuse.

My dog, Dwight, who always sleeps on my lap, hasn’t minded one iota.

I admit feeling groggy some days on awakening, but haven’t felt inclined to set an alarm, nor have I had any trouble later initiating or sleeping through the night.

I suspect this will continue as my new-retirement-power-nap norm for the foreseeable future!

Hectic work day game analogy

For many years, when things would get hectic during work days, I would always think back to the 1979 Atari video game called Asteroids.

One had to use buttons to try and shoot/destroy the asteroids that were coming from all angles toward the directional triangle, which represented you and your gun.

Daniel Waters, DO, a retired cardiothoracic surgeon, has his own analogy (from a game introduced in 1975):

“By the end of my career, one of the best descriptions I could come up with was that I was playing an endless game of Whack-A-Mole...”

Over the years, I got adept at handling challenges since there was virtually nothing, in the course of most days, that I hadn’t previously dealt with over my career.

Experience allowed me to successfully navigate through chaotic days.

The current medical director is surely dealing with daily challenges from patients, their families and caregivers, staff, medical center leadership, and administrators.

She hadn’t been born yet in the 70s, so Asteroids or Whack-A-Mole may not be something that comes to mind.

When we cross paths, I’ll  inquire if she’s come up with a more current hectic work day game analogy 😏.

Remembering a wonderful role model

I was notified, last evening, that a former acquaintance died last week.

He was a cardio-thoracic surgeon who had an incredible impact on all he encountered-patients, families, and medical colleagues, fellows, residents and students.

I got to know him while he was a surgical resident and I was a medical student.

He was brilliant, intense, yet kind, down to earth, had a great a sense of humor, and basically lived at the hospital.

I saw yet another side of him when I would see him playfully interacting with his family during some dinners, in the hospital cafeteria, of course.

I once asked him how he kept up-to-date with everything.

One way, he said, was to always carry note cards so he could  “review things, even when in the bathroom taking a crap (followed by laughter).”

My post yesterday was about the importance of remaining physically active.

He accidentally died while doing just that-riding his bicycle through the countryside.

I don’t wanna be a sloth

During a family trip to Costa Rica a couple of years ago, we encountered many sloths, those tree-dwelling mammals with the lowest metabolic rate of any mammal, known for hanging upside down in a tree and for their sluggish movement.

In his book, HOW TO RETIRE Happy, Wild, and Free, Ernie Zelenskyy reminds us that:

1. Staying physically and mentally active is the easiest way to retire happy, wild, and free.

2. Slothfulness increases the risk for many chronic disease including colon cancer, breast cancer, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

3. Retiring rich, but unhealthy, won’t do you much good. Without good health you can never be rich.

I’ve been exercising a lot since retiring.

Vigor is one of the antonyms for slothfulness.

I’ve noticed that vigorfulness increases the need for intermittent ice packs, heating pads, and ibuprofen 😏!

$600/year less

Have been having some interesting post-retirement flashbacks.

Prior to starting as a family medicine intern in 1985, I narrowed my choices down to two apartment complexes relatively near the hospital. One was brand new, with many nice amenities, in a safe part of town, and the other was much older, with no amenities, in a less safe part of town, but was $50 less a month.

$600 less for the year!

I choose the older, cheaper apartment.

One Sunday evening, shortly after having moved in, I returned home to find I had been robbed-TV, stereo, jewelry, etc..

A bedroom window, that backed to some woods, was used as the entry site.

Of course, I hadn’t purchased renters insurance.

The good news, however, was that the word must have gotten out that I had nothing left to steal, so I spent the next 11 and 1/2 months with no further issues!

When my lease expired, I moved to the newer apartment, even though it was now about $60 a month more, plus the added cost of renters insurance!

Looking back, it does make me smile-not because of the losses, but due to the monetary choice I made at the time.

However, I suspect I would make the same choice if I could turn back the clock. 

I was living pay check to pay check and it represented a significant amount of money at the time.

More (greatly appreciated) wisdom from Daniel Waters, DO

The 3 S’s that you must have in your possession when you retire:

Sanity: modern medical practice can drive you crazy…moral injury, burnout, empathy exhaustion, PTSD, stark raving lunacy, terminal cynicism…The reason you need to carry your sanity with you into retirement is that only through an unfractured lens can you focus and thus make sense of your life’s work.

Sense of humor: some aspects of medicine just lend themselves to laughter-never at a patient’s expense, but at situations that come under the broad umbrella of “well, you certainly don’t see THAT every day.” When you finally decide to close the cover and put the book of your career on the shelf, you’ll want to have a smile on your face.

Self respect: when you shuffle off…what remains of your medical life is your reputation and your contributions. Unlike our dust-faded selves, that never gets old.

Grumpy old man?

Now that I’m out and about running different errands during the weekday, I’m seeing more perfectly healthy looking drivers, than ever before, getting out of a car in a disabled parking space, with the disability placard hanging from the rear view mirror.

I haven’t seen one person yet who has any apparent functional deficit, or who is using a gait assist, or who is on portable oxygen, etcetera, but I’ll keep on the look-out.

I’m always conflicted.

I understand that a disability may not be completely apparent, or may be intermittent, but if currently doing well, why take up one of the few spaces that could be used by someone with a more symptomatic disability?

I suspect many have the placard for when an elderly disabled family member is driving with them, but they are just choosing to use it even when alone.

I’ve been tempted to yell, WHAT THE HECK IS YOUR DISABILITY? but never have.

Hopefully, that will remain the case long-term.

I think it will because we have a bunch of children in our neighborhood and not once have I yelled, GET OFF MY LAWN!