It’s such a cliché, I know, to start a new year with resolutions. This year, it’s not so much resolutions I want to make, but more of continued appreciation. I had a fabulous first career, one that presented many challenges and rewards. It was a very fulfilling career. This new career, one of a boutique farmer, is also full of challenges and rewards, but it could not be more different from my time as a doctor if I tried.
I spend my days in muck boots, checking the fences, tending to the cows, and improving the pastures. My time is outside, in the elements, no longer in the sanitized, overly bright halls and rooms of the hospital.
I still catch myself, quite regularly if I’m to be honest, amazed at my new surroundings. I will never tire of hearing the sound of cattle calling out in the morning mixed with classical music. A sunrise, a hard frost on the pasture, or the magnificent colors that can only be found with an autumn sunset: these moments still inspire and amaze me. This year, I resolve to continue to be amazed by what this new life brings to me each day. I will continue to savor my time outside in the fields, tending to the barn, and caring for these fabulous creatures. I resolve to feel the tiredness in my bones after a day’s work and the feeling of excitement each morning when I get to do it all again.
My wish to all of you this new year is a career, a hobby, or a passion that fills you with the same feeling of excitement, contentment, and eager anticipation for each new day.