New Year's Resolutions

Every year, most of us come up with a list of resolutions that set us up for failure. Most of them are unrealistic and repeats of previous unfulfilled resolutions. In 2010, I want to accomplish some of my resolutions. Therefore, I have compiled a list of things I know I can achieve.

1. Enjoy family
2. Cherish friends
3. Learn something new
4. Visit somewhere different this year
5. Eat a little less
6. Exercise a little more

Now that's a list even I can handle.

Need I Say More?

There Is A Little Truth In Everything!

Polar ice caps are melting faster than we thought. Scientists are doctoring data and we have emails to prove it. All of the news over the Copenhagen Climate Conference has made me wonder, "What if both sides are right?" What if climate change is really happening and we can do something about part of it? What if climate change is really cyclical as well and there is not much any of us can do about other parts of it?

There are motives for many to stake out positions on each side of this issue. One of my favorite quotations by Aristotle is "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." Most of us would be better served on many of our hot button political issues if we listened to the advice of this great philosopher.

I'm not sure which side is correct. Could the truth be in the middle? Maybe both sides are correct in some aspects of this debate. In that case it would go to show that there really is a little truth in everything.

The Future of Soccer in Italy

On a recent trip to Rome, I could not help but observe the children in the photo above playing soccer. The were having a blast running back and forth on the cobblestone area in front of the restaurant. If you look closely you will not see a soccer ball but a little white object which is the cap to a water bottle.

In the soccer world, countries like Italy and Brazil dominate. I do not see that changing anytime soon. If children growing up in these countries can kick a cap to a water bottle with efficiency, I think they will be kicking a soccer ball better than other countries for years to come. Kind of reminded me of the line in the movie, Dodgeball, "If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball."

Memphis Basketball Rebounds for 2010

Today was a great day for University of Memphis basketball fans like me. After going through losing a head coach and five of the best basketball recruits in the country this year, many were writing the University of Memphis basketball program off as dead. I must confess, as a fan I was in this camp. I worried about Memphis not being in a BCS conference.

All of these worries began to fade when they took a chance on Josh Pastner. His reputation as a relentless recruiter quickly calmed the nerves of fans like me. The first year coach has put to together the #1 recruiting class in the country for 2010. His recruiting class of 2010 is the best recruiting class of any first year coach in the history of NCAA basketball. All I have to say is, "GO TIGERS GO".

Cash For Medical Care

There is something wrong with a healthcare system that won't see cash paying patients. Recently, I had a patient who had no medical insurance. She had just finished her practice teaching and was in between college and her first job. When I saw her she had signs and symptom that one would have with a brain tumor. I recommended that she see a neurologist for a comprehensive work up including a MRI. Much to my dismay, I could not get her seen by any private neurologist in the Nashville area. Why, you ask? Because she had no medical insurance. That's right she was paying cash. How many businesses walk away from cash? Not many!

I did not stop there. After all this is Nashville, home of Vanderbilt and Meharry Medical Schools. Surely, one of those institutions would see my patient. After all, they have future doctors to train. Wrong again. No Luck at either institution.

Eventually, she was able to see a retired neurologist practicing a few days per week in a free medical clinic. He saw the importance of getting an MRI and made a few phonecalls. He was a former staff member at Vanderbilt and was able to call in an old favor and get her in for testing. No tumor was found and the patient has been monitored for the strange tumor-like appearance of her optic nerve for a little over a year now. Had this been a severe brain tumor, the patient might have died during those weeks it took to get her in for a MRI.

Don't get me wrong. I am not sure what the fix to our healthcare system is but I do know the system is broke. Health insurance costs are skyrocketing at 16-23% a year. Believe it or not, these increases are not going to the doctors. Over the past several years doctor reimbursements have remained level or declined in most cases.

I am not sure where the blame lies or what the cure is. I am anxious about what lies ahead for patients and for doctors. I do know one thing and that is when I have a patient with a condition that could be life threatening, I want them seen, even if they have cash.

English-My Second Language

Arkansas has it's own language and accent. As much as I try, I can't quite shake the Arkansas accent. In fact, my son makes fun of me and my accent frequently. He says that the closer I get to Arkansas, the more my native dialect (aka Arkansas English) comes out of me. He even has noticed the distinct accent when I am around friends and family from the "Natural State" as it is known.

I have decided to not fight this transformation which occurs as I travel closer to my home state. In fact I am embracing it. I am thinking that maybe those of us who are lucky enough to be from Arkansas should really get more credit in life. In fact, if Arkansas English is really a language of it's own, shouldn't those of us lucky enough to be from there get foreign language credits for English in high school and college.

Where's Your Smile?

Do you know anyone who never smiles? What is it with these people? It has been proven that the mere act of smiling releases hormones that make one happier. When I am driving down the road thinking about the problems in "my world", I try to remember this little fact. When I smile, guess what? My problems don't go away but most of the time, I do feel a little better.

I have one acquaintance in particular who never smiles. I am not kidding, this person never ever smiles. Sometimes when I see this person, I make a game out of trying to make her smile. I know my humor can be bad sometimes, but even on a bad day I can elicit a small smile out of most people. Never happens with this person! I know smiling won't solve all the problems of the world, but I think it's a start.

Skirted Swimsuits and Tucked Shirts!

I just returned from a week at the beach and I have a couple of observations. I may not be as well known in the fashion industry as Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, or Mark Ecko, but I could teach a few people a couple of things about style. #1. Very few ladies should wear a fully skirted bathing suit. I know, you think it makes you look slimmer. Guess what, it is not even close to an optical illusion, and I know a thing or two about optical illusions. Unless you have got one of the new swimsuits with a three to four inch skirt for accent purposes only, most skirted swimwear only make women look, how should I say this, less slim. #2. And men, unless you are going to work or going to play eighteen holes of golf, you need to take those shirttails out of those jeans and shorts. That beer gut only looks bigger hanging over that belt with your golf shirt or tee shirt tucked into those cargo shorts. Yeah, you say that spare tire around you waist is what separates the men from the boys. I agree, but that tucked in shirt is making you look like a man with a beer gut!

Remember When 40 Was Old?

I can still remember my first days as a twenty six year old optometrist. I was young and green. I remember examining patients who had turned 40 and were losing their near vision. The complaints rang in my ears daily. Everything from, "My arms are too short" to "I can't see to thread my needle". I remember vividly looking at these 40 somethings and thinking under my breath, "These folks are old."

Now that I have reached the pinnacle in life we call THE BIG FOUR ZERO and surpassed it by five years, I am looking back at 40 and thinking it is not quite as old as I once thought. In fact, I look at forty as young these days. The aches and pains of a forty-five year old are much more persistent than they were at forty. The memory and hearing is not quite as sharp as it was then. The wrinkles on the face are a little more pronounced and the mid section is carrying a little more weight these days. And the eyes, the old wonderful eyes, they are not quite as good as they were back then. No line progressive bifocal lenses hide the fact that I can not see up close. Seems as though a lot of things have changed since I became old.