Terrible at Goodbyes

Pin-Chieh Chiang -- This is my third draft trying to write this blog, which will also be my last entry. I have always been terrible at saying goodbye. Should I leave with some words of wisdom? Or a funny last story? How about I just write as if I’m giving an update about my life?

I’m currently sitting on my bed which I share with my husband and daughter in Shenzhen, China. Through our bedroom window I can see Hong Kong and the bridges that connect the two places. This is my vacation block and so far I’ve spent the last three weeks doing only one thing: being a mom. Each day I’ve looked after my baby’s sleeping, feeding, bathing, and playing. This is the most child care I’ve done since her birth. Typically during rotations, I’ll wake up and leave the house before she gets up. Then daddy takes her to grandma’s house for the day while we both work. At night I see her for only 3 hours before she goes to sleep. Here it’s been 24/7 just being with baby; a very rewarding vacation so far.

My family is truly my number one priority, especially my bouncing bubbly baby girl. Medical school would be my number 2. With just these two priorities, it’s already sometimes too much for me to handle. This is why I’m saying goodbye and this will be my last post. I had a wonderful time writing for The Differential and I’ve enjoyed everybody’s comments.

When I look back through my blogs, I wish I had written more about Osteopathy. It’s more than just an extra set of tools of manual medicine, it’s also a way of thinking. One of my favorite teachings in Osteopathy is, “To find health should be the object of the doctor; anyone can find disease.” Since starting 3rd year rotations, I’ve been so focused on diseases and pathology, I’ve easily forgotten about finding the health in my patients. Then I was reminded of this concept by Dr. McAffrey when she gave a grand rounds lecture on Traditional Osteopathy. She told the audience that the first thing she does with any patient is list five healthy things about them. She challenged everyone to try and find five healthy things about their patients.

To end this blog, here’s a list of five healthy things about me: I’m young, in general good health, lead a fairly active life, have a supportive family system, and am trying for another baby.