Some days, I feel it is an accomplishment to arrive at the office fully dressed and reasonably on time. I am not the only one. During my commute to work each morning, I may see someone hopping to her car with a shoe in her hand, running with his child to the bus stop, applying mascara while paused at a red light, or driving with a breakfast sandwich clutched in his jaws. For reasons such as these, the concept of a series of articles on lifestyle issues was intriguing to Glaucoma Today's editorial board members, Chief Medical Editor Richard Lewis, MD, and me.
I set about arranging this month's article "How Do I Stay Balanced" with interest and enthusiasm. My goal was to recruit three to five physicians to describe how they juggle their professional and personal responsibilities successfully. My experience executing this article was amusing and, admittedly, sometimes frustrating. Delayed replies to the invitation were not uncommon. A few individuals told me that they were too busy to participate. One of the doctors I contacted stated that he was not a good candidate and recommended someone else whose life he thought was balanced. That person, in turn, acknowledged that he would like to learn a few things about balancing his life and recommended someone else.
What I learned from the physicians who ultimately contributed to this article is, in part, what I already felt to be true: the balance in a person's life is relative. It shifts throughout the day. One can carry a heavy load with aplomb on Monday and feel completely thrown by the addition of a minor task or a slight change in schedule on Tuesday. What I enjoyed about this article and the piece on work/life balance written by Marlene Moster, MD, and Anjana Jindal, MD, was reading their strategies for well-being and their philosophies on what constitutes a life well lived. The lifestyle series concludes with an article on retirement planning—one more task to cram into our busy lives today so that we may take pleasure in the activities that we have put off until tomorrow.
I hope that you enjoy this unique grouping of articles as well as the rest of this edition of GToday. As always, your comments are welcome. Now, where did I put that shoe?
