August 31: Almost Day One

Here I am, about 6 hours after the my last patient and my last dictation.

The last few hours just couldn’t crawl by any slower. First it was 5 hr and 15 minutes left, then 4 hr and 58 minutes, then 5 patients left, then 4 patients left. At 2:33 p.m., 3 minutes after my last patient was scheduled and seen, one of my colleagues was discussing general medical issues, and I tried to tell him--not too kindly, I’ll admit--that I don’t really want to talk about medicine anymore. My year of doing everything but medicine has just begun. That wasn’t quite true. I still had some paperwork left that took up an hour. I really was dancing all day, telling everyone who crossed paths with me that I am taking a year off. I don’t remember the last time I was so excited about something.

To celebrate, I went and picked up some really junky snacks, then headed to Sommers Point for the evening.

Sommers Point is one of the most charming B&Bs around. Sharen and Larry, two retired school teachers lovingly built a log cabin after their retirement. They scoped out a copse of pines, felled them, treated the logs, then erected a log cabin on a rocky promontory overlooking Marion Lake in northern Ontario. Besides being such welcoming hosts, they have an artistic flair, beautifying the whole experience with luscious breakfasts and rustic decor.

I spent the first few hours just swinging in the hammock reading up on Nicaragua in preparation for my trip to Central America in November. I would have preferred some other light reading such as a mindless fashion or home decor magazine but had none around.

Then it was time to prepare dinner: pasta with a primavera/bolognese/rose combination sauce that worked quite well. Of course, food tastes much better when eaten in the woods. It has been a hot day but the evening breeze made the temperature just right.

The wind was quite strong, precluding a paddle in the lake, so I opted for a walk along the boardwalk in Quetico Park along French Lake, returning to the cabin just in time to see the sunset over Marion Lake.

A tea with a sumptuous piece of homemade cake finished the day perfectly.

It has been a great beginning to my Year of the Right Brain.