The Beginning

Thanks for stopping by. 

This blog will summarize what I've learned in 46 years of walking this earth. It will serve as a record of the changes I've seen in myself and the world. It is also an experiment. More on that later.

I have to start somewhere so I'll start at the beginning and keep it brief.

Born:               Ridgewood, New Jersey on March 17, 1973 at 9:42 AM.


Race:              Caucasian – Dutch American Ancestry

Religion:         Raised in the Protestant Christian tradition

Upbringing:    Suburban middle-class in Western Michigan and Chicago

Education:      Bachelor of Science from Calvin College 
                         MD from MCP Hahnemann School of Medicine (cum Laude)
                         Residency in Emergency Medicine – Chief Resident in 2004

Family:            Divorced Once after 20 years of marriage, 3 Daughters, 
                         Remarried with 1 Step-daughter, 2 step-sons

Profession:   Physician (MD) specializing in Regenerative Medicine, board certified in emergency medicine with a  focus                         in emergency medical services, operational medicine, and critical care transport

Hobbies:        Aviation, Multi-sport, Exercise and Nutrition, Creative Writing


My bio looks professional and smart. I’ve done the work, earned the degrees and had the cool jobs. It looks like I’ve lived a life of breakthrough after breakthrough.

But it doesn’t tell the whole story. It leaves out the breakdowns.

It leaves out the extra decade of schooling. It leaves out the 100-hour work weeks and the endless nights on call. It leaves out the blood and the vomit and the shit and the death. It leaves out the part about the time I got meningitis and how that led to a two-year opiate addiction that nearly killed me. It leaves out the 70 days of hospitalization or the medical board suspension and 5 years of pissing in cups to return to practice. It also leaves out the devastation of divorce and the financial hardship that comes when those things happen within the span of 5 years. 



And here’s the truth - I had to go through the breakdowns before I could breakthrough. I had to do the work. I had to make the tough choices. I had put in the effort. I had to fail and get back up, and in doing so I’ve learned a lot about myself and a lot about life. 



The experiment.


Quantum physicists speculate that we exist in an infinite field of unlimited potential. They say the infinite field exists beyond time and space, which means the past, the present, and the future all occur simultaneously. They also say the infinite field responds to every thought, feeling and belief we have. So, if that’s the case, then I should be able to send good vibrations out into the quantum field and send past myself some love. He’s gonna need it.

And if I can connect to my past self, maybe I can share some of the wisdom he’ll need to make it through. Maybe I can help him understand himself better. Maybe he’ll read it and learn something. Maybe he’ll find it and know he’s not alone.  Or maybe not. Who knows? I just know I’m going to put this stuff out there and see what happens.








 






 

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