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Meaning and Purpose in Retirement
As you know, I’m back in the saddle at work, according to the terms of my phased retirement contract. When I’m off service, I feel less pressured. However, when I’m on service, I’m like a fireman, thriving on pressure. I’ve done Consultation-Liaison (C-L) Psychiatry for so many years that, when I stop to think about…
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Fine Weather for Ducks
Today we had fine weather for ducks—who waddled across our front yard lawn and across the street. They sampled the worms the robins evidently wouldn’t eat. They didn’t like them much either. I wonder what kind of romance life ducks have—probably about the same as humans. That reminds me; my wife made another Hoorah’s Nest…
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Who’s a Hoorah’s Nest?
I asked my wife this morning if she ever got any food in her mouth, pointing to the floor under her dining room chair—where there was a small pile of crumbs and whatnot. It was a regular Hoorah’s Nest (also known as Hurrah’s Nest). That’s just about anything (hairstyle, person, place, situation, my so-called cooking)…
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Remembering My Calling
Back when I had the blog The Practical C-L Psychiatrist, I wrote a post about the Martin Luther King Jr. Day observation in 2015. It was published in the Iowa City Press-Citizen on January 19, 2015 under the title “Remembering our calling: MLK Day 2015.” I have a small legacy as a teacher. As I…
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I’ll Have to Make Time
I suppose you’re wondering why I’ve been saying that my wife has got me this or that item, like the pink dumbbells and whatnot. She also got me an extra yoga mat. Part of the explanation is that I’ve recently had a birthday, which reminds me of the importance of time in my life–mainly because…
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Talk About Change
Let’s talk about change. I’ve had a couple of brand-new tie bars (gifts from my wife) in my dresser drawer for a couple of months now. I’d forgotten them until last night. I used to wear a tie bar many years ago. I’m discovering that I probably wore it wrong, according to fashion experts who…
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Jim’s Exercise Routine
In my off-service time, I discovered that you need to exercise 150 minutes a week or a little over 20 minutes a day. Exercise guidelines come from the Department of Health and Human Services and the World Health Organization who are behind this conspiracy, I mean this recommendation. I’ve adopted this to some extent, at…
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Toeless Mourning Doves
I’m an amateur bird watcher. Last August, I saw a toeless Mourning Dove with what some people would call String Foot, a foot deforming condition that might be caused by a variety of injuries. I had never seen anything like it. In the slide show you can see a bird seemingly sitting in its own…
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Retiring Takes Practice
Retiring takes practice, like a great many skills. I know it’s puzzling to think of retiring as a skill. Skill building feels awkward at first and with time, managing the transition slowly feels more natural. At least that’s what I hope about this retirement thing. I remember way back in the day of the dinosaurs…
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Can Jim Learn to Cook?
First, thanks so much for the Likes from the cooks out there on yesterday’s post “Back on the Wards”! I have not yet had a chance to really dig into your recipes, but I’m definitely interested. There was also a Like on a previous post (“Mindfully Retiring from Psychiatry”) from someone who devotes a part…
Go Retire Psychiatrist 