Putting the Top Down
I recently attended a farewell luncheon for Dr. Keith Kenter, chair of the Department of Surgical Services, who is leaving WMed at the end of September. He is going back to the University of Missouri-Columbia where he completed his MD degree and will now focus on his academic mission training orthopaedic surgery fellows. The seven years we have been colleagues and close friends have flown by in what seems like the briefest of moments. The concept of time passing so quickly got me thinking about a message I wanted to share more broadly.
Since I was a dissolute youth attending high school just outside of Detroit, I have been enamored with American-made cars with too much horsepower. Nonetheless, through my early adulthood I drove exclusively four-cylinder light pickup trucks. When I turned 40, though, my wife let me buy a convertible, which I only drive in the summer when there is a chance to feel the wind blowing through my hair.
It takes 15 seconds to drop the top. I know because I have counted the seconds. The other day I was on the way to a meeting on a beautiful day, and I thought to myself, “I don’t have time, I’ll leave the top up.” Wrong thought process; if I’ve put myself in the position that I can’t take 15 seconds to enjoy a sunny day, I’m in the wrong existence. The top went down.
Tempus fugit. Stop and smell the roses. Carpe diem. Seize the day. Whatever way you say it, take the time to enjoy life today. So, to Keith, on behalf of everyone at WMed, we wish you the best of luck in your new role and don’t forget to put the top down.
Cheers,
Rob
Robert G. Sawyer, MD
The Hal B. Jenson, MD Dean