Passion…unbridled

(My heart goes out to those from the town of Jasper, Alberta, Canada who are reeling from a wildfire now, I am also thinking of Maui residents..)

Hearts are breaking as people retreat

From the burning town, away from the heat

How powerless human beings could feel, no one knew

Before the fire spread, consuming all but few

Buildings across town, all burnt to the ground

Breathtaking beauty replaced by destruction all around

Fire that turned into a self-sustaining blaze

Clear blue skies replaced by a gray haze

Horrifying walls of fire raging through

What apocalypse has the world descended into?

*

One iconic place burning today, another burnt down last year

Destruction from wildfires is something to fear

What’s ruined in minutes would take decades to rebuild

Would the profound sense of loss ever be filled?

There is a lot in the world to process

And whenever over an issue I start to obsess

My chaotic thoughts I feel compelled to organize

Into words- when I put them in writing I realize

My true feelings on the issue at hand

As I write, I seem to better understand

Not the issue itself but how it has affected me

It is part therapy and part self-discovery

*

Since information on social media is hyper-sensationalized

It triggers a stronger emotional response, I’ve realized

I am guilty of social media consumption excessive

And sometimes I get “triggered” by a post in a manner negative

Although this is a self-imposed problem, the best solution I find

Is to write to pour my emotions and calm my mind..

You learn a lot about life when you practice medicine

The lessons help you through thick and thin

*

Being an educated professional who had achieved

The tenets of traditional success had led me to erroneously believe

That I was exceptional in some way, that belief was reinforced

When I received appreciation from patients and colleagues in the course

Of my daily work, my confidence was rising every day

For a while the sailing was smooth all the way

*

In medicine confidence is needed but the slightest bit

Of overconfidence can in a powerful manner hit

That happened to me, as I did not realize that I had strayed

From being confident to being overconfident, I am now dismayed

To think that I did not check myself before it was too late

I made an error of judgment, and I am just relieved to state

That the consequences were minor, no harm was done

But it was a blow to my inflated ego, a valuable lesson I did learn

*

Pride comes before fall, and it is important not to be

Carried away by overconfidence, to practice humility

To recognize the limitations of what I know

Be prepared to learn at every step and grow

I’m constantly looking for a dopamine surge

I want to constantly be on the verge

Of another novel experience, my everyday life appears

Too monotonous, to have to live in boredom I fear

Sometimes I get my stimulation from travel or from a book

But unfortunately most of the time I tend to look

At my devices and scroll randomly through content

On social media sites, to curb my craving to some extent

*

I know a “dopamine detox” is what I need

It has to start with social media indeed

All other ways of getting a dopamine high

Are less accessible to me, and that is why

I should get off facebook, instagram and X

And my dormant creative muscles flex

To find something more tangible to do

That curbs my craving for dopamine too

“Never give up”, I believe just like me

You have heard the phrase repeated endlessly

The intent is to provide a dose of motivation

When you are about to give up in frustration

But is it always the right thing to do?

Is it imperative to always follow through?

*

Whenever I would think of quitting and this I would hear

Being perceived as a miserable failure I would fear

If I actually gave up, therefore my efforts I would renew

Sometimes I reached my goal, sometimes I did not make it through

I would eventually realize precious time had been lost

If I did not quit when I should have, it came at a cost

*

Not every path you start on is the right one

Sometimes it’s wiser not to complete what you have begun

Aspirations can morph, dreams can die on their own

Each incomplete journey teaches something you had not previously known

Giving up is not always to failure tantamount

To give up and start on a new path takes courage profound

*

So the motivating statement let me in a different manner say

“If things are not working out the right way,

Do not be terrified of giving up and starting anew

But if you are convinced of your goal, continue to follow through”

How do I give back, is a question that recently

I have started pondering over frequently

I have more than enough to fulfill my needs

And a little surplus for my future generation indeed

In my primary vocation I am fortunate

To be able to, human suffering alleviate

Beyond that I am not sure whether I can make

A difference im the world, I do not know what it would take

To bring about a change that lasts

In a world that seems to change quite fast

*

So what does it take to make a change in the world that is positive

There are billionaire philanthropists who give

Massive sums in charity-while most of us cannot afford

Charitable donations of that magnitude, the impact of smaller acts cannot be ignored

When one person volunteers his money, time or effort

Maybe one unfortunate event he can avert

Maybe one single human being’s life he can improve

Maybe just one hardship he can remove…

*

Let me start from somewhere, some resources I possess

I can give freely, provide someone access

To necessities that I for granted take

I hope a positive difference I can make

As I gain prosperity, I hope I can raise

My standard of giving, give in different ways

*

As I think about giving, let me conclude

With a heartfelt prayer filled with gratitude..

Some days I rise bright and early ready to make

A difference in the world, daring to break

All barriers to success, I am motivated

To work efficiently and well, I am invigorated

After a good night’s sleep and a morning run

I feel like I can accomplish anything under the sun

I may not do anything groundbreaking, but at the end of the day

I feel content, my time I have not whiled away..

*

Then there are days following interrupted sleep

When my motivation I seem unable to keep

I feel drained, myself I have to repeatedly remind

To take it one step at a time, so I do not lose my mind

When a multitude of issues coming from every direction

Threaten to overwhelm me and push me into further inaction..

*

I would not be writing if this happened to be

A day similar to the one described first, unfortunately

I am fatigued and unmotivated today

Hoping to amble along my way

Until I get home and get much needed rest

Recover so that tomorrow I can give it my best

Most of the time my attention is fragmented

In fact I have often lamented

That there are too many things that need

My attention simultaneously, if I could be freed

From some of the responsibilities that I have to fulfill

If I could stop running on the hedonistic treadmill

I would be able to pay more attention to what I care about

I would feel more fulfilled in my life, no doubt..

*

My life is fast-paced and chaotic at best

And my attention is constantly put to test

Even so, there are moments when I find myself able

To give undivided attention to the matter on the table

My senses are heightened, I can perceive

Subtle signs and cues that ordinarily I believe

I would miss due to being inattentive

I learn so much when I’m able to give

My complete attention to the issue at hand

So much more I am able to understand

*

One of the greatest gifts that you can give, I’ve understood

Is your undivided attention to someone, like you should..

In a world where attention spans continue to shrink

Being attentive is a superpower, I think

Did we get productivity figured out wrong

When did we decide to go along

With the idea that being busy throughout the day

Was to improve productivity the right way

We are not working on an assembly line

Repetitive work does not our productivity define

To perform higher executive tasks at a level high

To figure out how to solve problems and try

To make the world a better place for all

We need time to daydream, wonder and stall..

*

I find myself busy completing tasks constantly

(Many of those tasks I suspect are unnecessary)

Checking off boxes, moving to the next one

Until every single task is done

I am industrious, maybe like a worker bee

But that is not who I aspire to be..

*

I feel most productive when I have the luxury

Of time to think and be creative, when I’m not in a hurry

To cross tasks off a list, when I can actually design

A project for myself, to accomplish over a fluid timeline

*

Alas, today my list of things to do is quite extensive

To get through it, I have to perform labor intensive

I hope tomorrow would be a more productive day

And that I would have time to think, imagine and dream away..

Should you shorten to four days your work week

To find the elusive work-life balance you seek

Would working fewer days make you more productive

Would it help you a more well-rounded life live?

*

Or would it just lengthen every working day

And make it harder for you to step away

From work during the three-day weekend

Would you work more from home than you intend?

*

These are hard questions- the five-day work week has been

A feature that this country for decades has seen

Anything outside this norm seems to need

Justification to prove its merit indeed

Then you realize, in many countries the norm happens to be

A six-day work week- compared to that, five days seems heavenly

*

Burnout in modern life is a huge issue

No one knows the right thing to do

How much should one work is a pressing question to address

Does the solution to our troubles actually lie in working less?

In a country with reasonable political stability

You would not imagine a citizen becoming a refugee…

*

Yet there are thousands being forced to flee

Their homes these days, alarmingly

Driven not by political turmoil but by change in climate

Global warming increasingly tends to precipitate

Wildfires and floods, tornadoes and hurricanes

That are unfolding at a scale unprecedented and insane

*

These natural disasters have tragically created

Climate refugees, whose numbers are estimated

To rise to over a billion in the next twenty-five years

Where would the displaced go, is a question we all fear

As parts of our planet increasing inhabitable become

“Climate migration” would become the survival strategy for some..

*

Global warming is a phenomenon in which we

Have played a role, by burning fossil fuels indiscriminately

Climate migration is a pressing problem for this century

That we have to tackle at a global level, collectively

Those who advise you to not get stressed when you have a deadline to meet

Have probably never worked in situations where there are projects to complete

Within a timeline strictly defined, often quite narrow

Working fast and making quick decisions is inherently stressful, you know

But there is a silver lining to the cloud of stress

Once you reach the finish line, the relief of success

Is profound- you know both the stakes and the reward are high

The sense of accomplishment is exhilarating and that is why

You consciously choose to expose yourself to this stress

This stress is vital to your progress..

*

If you never felt stressed in a situation with high stakes

You would not be able to complete your work with minimal mistakes

As you are required to do- this “eustress” is positive stress indeed

It provides you with the motivation that you need

*

Stress gets a bad press because it seems to be in excess

To the point of overwhelming us and causing distress

Not all stress is bad, especially when short-lived

Our best performance eustress encourages us to give..