Posts by Aparna Bhasker

The Caretakers

Bariatric Surgery
The Caretakers

©Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker

I recently treated an 80 years old diabetic lady for a gangrenous gall bladder. By the time she presented to us, she was in severe sepsis. It was a difficult surgery. After the surgery, I met her son and grandson and explained her condition to both of them. She had to kept in the ICU for a few days in view of her age and associated conditions. Over the next few days, whenever I visited her on my rounds, I would ask for the relatives so that I could explain the clinical progress to them. However, every time I would be disappointed as no one would be around. The old lady was practically left all alone in the hospital. The staff informed me that the son and the grandson took turns to visit her every night for a short while. No one stayed by her side during the day.

Elderly patients sometimes tend to get neglected by their families. This is especially true for elderly women. They are a vulnerable in every way and an extended illness can sometimes push things to the brink. With this thought, I discharged her hoping that they would take care of her at home. For some reason, I kept thinking of her from time to time during the next week.

A few days later, they brought her to my clinic for a follow up. The old lady was in good spirits however, the attendants were extremely hassled and worked up, once again, reinforcing my thought process about neglect. They had a whole lot of complaints about her not heeding to any medical or dietary advice. The more I heard from them, the more I judged them for taking care of her poorly and treating her like a burden they were forced to carry. I felt bad for the old lady and wished I could do something to make things better for her.

After I finished checking her dressing, I asked for her son and daughter in law to come in. I gave them a nice little speech about the need for emotional support after surgery and chided them for not being there for her at the hospital when she was admitted.

After my monologue was over, they revealed that for the last two decades they had been taking care of five senior citizens at home. Father, mother and three unmarried sisters of the father lived with them. The old lady was his aunt and not his mother as I had assumed. His parents had passed away a few years back but the couple continued to take care of all the three aunts. Two of them were completely bed ridden and dependent on them for everything. All of them were octogenarians. None of them had any source of income. The gentleman and his young son were the only earning members of the family. The family along with the three aunts lived together in a small two room apartment in a Mumbai chawl. They were barely making ends meet. Frequent hospitalizations of the family members had set them back financially and they were perpetually under debt. The husband and his son had no option but to go to work in order to survive. The wife needed to be home to take care of the other two aunts. Getting help was an extravagance they could not afford. Every day was a struggle. With their meagre resources in terms of time and money, they were trying to do as much justice as they could. It was impossible for anyone of them to be at the hospital 24 by 7. In their eyes, the hospital was a safe place where they knew that the old lady was being taken care off well and being supported by the staff. They did as much as they could in the given circumstances.

I was amazed at how much they were doing. The couple had not only taken care of their parents, but were also taking care of the extended family. Contrary to my assumption, they had gone beyond the call of duty.

People lead tough lives. When we meet them in the hospital, we get to see a very small glimpse of their lives. As doctors, all our attention is on the patient’s well being and in the process sometimes we tend to judge the care takers. While the patient is the recipient of all our care and empathy, the caretakers usually get no credit.

After they finished narrating their story, the couple smiled and looked as though a burden was off their chest. Sharing a piece of their life with me, would not really change much for them. However, a little less judgement and a bit of empathy would probably make their journey slightly more tolerable.

As for me, by digging a bit deeper, I lightened my own burden of judgement.

©️Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker

A PAGE FROM A DOCTOR’S DIARY

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Dedicated to all the mothers

Dedicated to all the #mothers

©️Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker

In a city like Mumbai, most people live in nuclear families, and many a times, children have no option but to tag along with their parents even during medical consultations. Some people feel a tad awkward about getting children with them and leave them with caretakers. However, if responsible caretakers are not available, I wouldn’t refrain from saying that children can also be a barrier to seeking timely healthcare, especially when it comes to women’s health.

A few days back, we treated a lady for a breast abscess, and she had to come in for frequent dressings. Every day, she would bring her three years old daughter along with her. The daughter would just not leave the mother and cling to her all the time. She would refuse to sit outside in the waiting area and insisted on being inside the dressing room with her mother. On being denied, she would start crying inconsolably, and absolutely nothing would comfort her. Being a mother myself, I presumed that as the child was so small, she may have some degree of separation anxiety and wanted to be with the mother all the time. Hence, much to the chagrin of the staff at the hospital, I requested them to allow her to be with her mother during the dressing. This went on for almost 10 days….. It was the same story every day. Mother and daughter would come together, and while I did the dressing, the little girl would sit quietly on a chair inside the dressing room. On the last day, I asked the mother if the little girl was so clingy at home too. She just smiled and said that though she lived in a joint family, no one accompanied her for the hospital visits. The husband had to be at work, and the others were busy with their own lives.

Her three years old daughter came with her every day because no one else came. She didn’t want her mother to come alone to the hospital. That was her way of supporting her mother. By being on her side…. All through…..

It set me thinking about how mistaken I was in my thought process. This little human was not a barrier for her mother’s treatment. She was, in fact, the enabler. Any surgery, however small, is a big deal for a patient. One needs physical, mental, and emotional support, and all these go a long way in the healing process. At the tender age of three, she understood this well and, in her own sweet way, supported her mother by being there for her.

May is the month of the “mother”. I am a mother myself, and honestly, many times, it can get a little overwhelming to manage a kid, family, home, and work together. As a mother, I think of myself as the doer who is not allowed to be vulnerable. I believe that it is my job to take care of the needs of my child, my family, and my patients. I feel that all of them look up to me, and meeting these expectations is an unquestionable and integral part of life.

However, this episode set me thinking about all the times when my child tries to support me through difficult times in his own innocent ways. If I complain of a headache, he brings slices of cucumber and puts them on my eyes. If I look tired, he brings me a glass of water. If I look stressed, he asks me if everything is okay at the hospital.

Children try to comfort us in their own sweet way, and it is up to us to allow them to help us and accept their help. Mother’s Day is not meant to make us sit on an unreachable pedestal. Some degree of vulnerability can make mothers a little more human. Be vulnerable, and next time when your child offers you help, do accept it. It will definitely make your journey a lot easier and bring a smile to your face.

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

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I have been pathetically camera conscious for most part of my life. The moment I know someone is taking my picture, I tend to stiffen, I don’t know where to look, and I smile weirdly. It’s not hard to guess the end result. The awkwardness is evident and most of the time, I hate to look at my own pictures. I delete them more often than I keep them. Getting pictures clicked is an onerous task, which I would totally avoid if I could. I envy the selfie enthusiasts who seem to get that pout right every time and I am always in awe of those perfectly pastel wedding albums.

That brings me to my wedding pictures…… well, the less we say about them, the better it is. Like most Indian weddings my wedding was also quite emotionally and physically taxing. However, the photographer seemed quite set on his task of creating a perfect wedding album for us. He expected a graceful pose with a flawless smile for every photograph. It almost felt like I was there for a grand photo shoot and not for my own wedding. Getting pictures taken was the most tormenting part of my wedding, to the extent that towards the end, I threatened to walk away if any more photos were taken.

Cut to 2023. Last week we had our annual obesity surgery conference in Mumbai. It was a 4 days long affair and of course there was a “photographer”. Usually, most of us would not pay much attention to a photographer in a routine surgical conference. After all, it is not exactly a wedding! However, here was this middle-aged person, impeccably dressed in a jacket and with a very interesting expression on his face. A face that brings about a smile on another face. One look at him and you have no option but to smile. He went around bouncing on his feet, taking pictures, making small talk, cracking jokes and making everyone laugh. He had a persona that was very hard to ignore. I guess, all those who attended the conference will agree that getting pictures clicked felt quite natural and to some extent even enjoyable. For the next 4 days, he worked with the same fervour and his passion for photography went miles beyond being just a job. By the time the conference came to an end, we were on first name basis and I was happy to know that he was a proud father of a dental student. He shared with a lot of pride that though he couldn’t study much, his children were doing very well academically.

I am sure he made a deep impact on many of us who attended the meeting. I guess it is not about what you do, it is about how you do it. A simple task of taking pictures can be done so differently by two different people. Not only was he passionate about what he did, he also connected with each one of us at a personal level. He worked for about 15 hours everyday and yet had a smile on his face at the end of every day. He danced when we danced, he laughed when we laughed and he clicked hundreds of pictures. I am yet to see the pictures but for the first time I didn’t mind being photographed, infact, I actually enjoyed it.

This one is dedicated to you Naresh Bhai! Thank you for your efforts.

©Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker

HNY!!!

Bariatric Surgery

When I was growing up, the new year meant sending and receiving greeting cards to and from friends and family. For over a month, the postman would continue to deliver bundles of actual greetings almost daily. As a child, it was most exciting to receive cards and we would eagerly wait for them every day. By January of every year, our house would be full of colorful greetings from friends and family from all over the country. Many times these were accompanied by a short letter or a note. At times, we would receive letters from long-lost friends and it would help to rekindle the forgotten relationship. Every card that was received brought in loads of memories with it and we would fondly remember the good times spent together. We would religiously make the effort to respond to each one and add the new senders to our annual greeting card sending list. The Archie’s and Hallmarks of the world did make life easier when it came to sending wishes to our loved ones. And I think just like me, many people saved and cherished these cards for years to come. They were precious!

Cut to 2023, the greeting cards, the card shops, the postman, and sometimes even the relationships have faded into oblivion. Today sending wishes usually means a short WhatsApp message… sometimes as short and cryptic as “HNY” ?. Most messages are forwarded creatives and images. No offence meant to the senders! Responding to new year wishes is a cut-copy-paste phenomenon, at times even without downloading the image sent by the other person especially if the wifi speed is not upto our expectations. (For all you know it may not be a new year message at all.) The second day of the new year is usually spent deleting all the images that have clogged the phone gallery. In the tsunami of hundreds of messages there is no time to actually think about the person or the relationship. Our lives in the 21st century are indeed very busy and time is a commodity that is always scarce.

As I grow older I tend to think a lot more about the years gone by. I have been blessed with some really good friends and the list keeps growing every year. I do believe that we can make friends at any age and of any age. It could be a child or at times someone a lot older. There is no formula for making friends. It just happens. However, like every other relationship in this world, friendship also needs work and effort. Life tends to happen to all of us and our friends tend to slip away even without us noticing. As I write this, I am also guilty of allowing this to happen to my own friendships. At times years pass by and suddenly one day we realize that we could have done a better job of supporting each other a little more.

Last year for me was about rediscovering old friendships and making new ones. At this stage in life, I realize that one more publication, one more conference, one more book written, one more presentation, one more difficult surgery or one more career goal achieved cannot bring greater happiness than one more friend cherished or one more new friend made. The rat race is exactly that… a rat race. If we wish to live life king-size, we have to first stop being a rat.

Friends are precious and if you have a few to grow old with, you are lucky and blessed. In this new year cherish them and make that little extra effort to keep up the friendships. If not a greeting card, do make the effort to pick up the phone and give them a call. Nothing can be more rejuvenating than a heart to heart conversation with a close friend.

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year full of friendship and love!
Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker

THE TRAIN TRAVAILS

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©️Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker

Mumbai locals…. Rightly known as the lifeline of this city of dreams. Mumbai will not be Mumbai, if it were not for its local train network. For some, it’s a necessity and for others more privileged, it’s a choice. But no one can challenge the fact, that in this bustling city which is forever bursting at its seams, it is the fastest way to commute from one part of the city to another.

I take the train off and on to work. Especially on days when I am running behind schedule (which is quite often ?), it helps me to make up on the lost time. It also helps me to relax mentally and catch up on my reading, thanks to all the wonderful apps on my phone. Many a times, I just sit by the window-side and observe all the hustle and bustle around me. It’s true that every train has a life of its own. Most fellow passengers are usually immersed in their phones and many a times, I catch people smiling to themselves or letting out a small laugh. Despite being as public as transport can get, Mumbai locals can sometimes also be the most private place to shed a tear or two. In Mumbai, space may be lacking in the literal sense, but people do know when to give you space.

Mumbai locals are also busy centres for business. Especially the ladies’ compartments. Everything that can make a working woman’s life better, is available on the train. There are women selling all kinds of things, from cut vegetables to kitchen-ware to innerwear! The other day, a middle-aged lady walked in with two huge bags full of Indian Kurtas for women. Very neat, decent quality and most importantly reasonably priced. No wonder she was an instant hit. There is no better delight for a woman than shopping for new clothes and especially if they are economically priced. In no time, the mundane phones went inside the bags and there was a kurta in almost everyone’s hand. Some were marvelling at the designs, the others bargaining for a better price, some in a tearing hurry as they had to get down at the next station. Almost everyone bought something and when it was time to pay, this lady who was selling the clothes just gave them her phone number and asked them to pay through their Google pay accounts whenever they could. Almost half of the ladies got off at the next station with their latest purchase. Some of them had paid and some hadn’t yet. They all had her number.

I was watching as a bystander this whole time. After the train started moving, I couldn’t resist asking her if any of her customers defaulted on paying her. I was pleasantly surprised when she said that never has, she been cheated of her money. She sells to strangers on a new train every day. She lets them take the goods and trusts that they will make the payment eventually and invariably, by the end of the day, her books are in a good shape. While I did understand that it was a good marketing strategy, but it also came with a risk. The risk of being cheated and her trust being broken. For the last three days I cannot stop thinking about my conversation with her. This lady who had nothing much in the name of savings, who sold cheap clothes out of a plastic bag, on a local train, to make a living, made a conscious choice to “trust” people.

It is sad that today, trusting people is considered as a character trait that needs a trimming. Trusting others is considered foolhardy and naïve. We all want others to trust us but we find it difficult to return the favour. As a doctor, I know the value of trust. The most serious of ailments can be cured if the patient trusts the doctor. Lack of trust today is the biggest issue not only in healthcare but in every stratum of life. It makes us insecure, edgy and self-centred. Sadly, we teach our children the same things.

Trust is the most essential part of every relationship. We need to trust people to be able to sustain the most basic necessities in life. We trust that the food we eat, will lead to good health, we trust that houses we stay in will protect us from harm, we trust that the air we breathe in, will keep us alive. Most importantly, we need to trust people around us. Believe it or not, given a chance, majority proves to be trustworthy. If only we started with trusting just one more person every day, this world would be a better place and we would all feel more free.

To live, is to trust. And it is a choice, just like the one made by the cloth seller on the train!

©️Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker

independenceday2022 #mumbailocaltrains #mumbaidiaries #mumbaikar

THE YELLOW CANDY

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THE YELLOW CANDY

©️ Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker

He saw me standing lost in my thoughts,

He noticed that I didn’t ask for a coffee today,

His old experienced eyes perceived that I was not my usual self,

He waited for the moment when I would look at him,

The moment I turned around he waived and reached out to me with a yellow candy,

I took that one, and promptly he offered another one and a big toothy smile free,

And a smile begets a smile, so magically, the frown on my face turned into a smile,

Something eased in that moment and a twinkle returned to my eyes,

As doctors, we have to be kind to everyone, but sometimes a yellow candy of kindness can do wonders for us too. Such precious moments are enough to keep us going.

©️ Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker

PS- “He” is the coffee vendor at one of the hospitals I visit.

(Picture courtesy- Parle Archives)

THE EXPERIENCED DOCTOR

Bariatric Surgery
THE EXPERIENCED DOCTOR

©️Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker

This morning as I was getting ready to go to the hospital, I looked in the mirror and a streak of grey hair caught my attention. I paused for a moment and a bittersweet emotion passed through me. As a doctor, grey hair bring in a lot of validation from patients. Grey hair signify experience and who wouldn’t want to see an #experienced doctor. Rather who wants to see an inexperienced doctor! I guess no one.

But what does “experience” mean in its true context?

Experience means years of rigorous training to hone our skills to be able to diagnose and treat illnesses.

Experience means to be able to effectively ease physical and mental pain and save lives.

Experience means understanding, guiding and providing support to hundreds and thousands of people day in and day out for years on end.

Experience means to be able to communicate effectively and give out the correct information without taking away hope.

Experience means doing our job and doing it well consistently.

Experience could also mean, exposing ourselves to deadly infections in order to save someone else’s life.

Experience means accepting that sometimes the worst patients may get better and the most unexpected ones may get worse.

Experience means knowing that sometimes despite all our efforts, things may still go wrong.

Experience means realizing that #nature is the third element between a doctor and a patient.

Experience means accepting that this third element, that is nature, will always remain more powerful than any advances in medical science.

Experience is finally a lesson in humility ….. and if we have learnt that, we are truly experienced.

Dr Aparna Govil Bhasker

DOWN THE MEMORY LANE

Bariatric Surgery

My father is known in the family for his humongous collection of stamps and rare first day covers. All through my childhood, I waited for the day when he would pass this precious collection to his first born child, which is obviously me! Well, as dear as I am to my father, his stamp collection must have been dearer to him, for I am well into my middle age, and the stamps are nowhere near my reach.

So, while I kept eyeing the stamps of my father, I took up another hobby in my childhood, and that was to collect match box covers. A bit of a downgrade when compared to stamps, but I did manage to collect more than 400 different matchbox covers over the years. And today, while surfing the net, I came across the attached picture, and it brought back a flood of memories. Memories of my accomplice who helped me to acquire such a large collection. He would ensure that every matchbox cover that he found on his way to our home would reach me intact. I would wait eagerly every evening to see him in anticipation of adding a new cover to my collection.

Radhe Baba was 85 years old. He was not related to us in any way, but he kind of adopted us as his family. My mother would always save a meal for him, and he seemed to love her cooking. He was the most rocking old man I have ever come across. As a World War two veteran, he received a meager pension from the government off and on and had no worldly possessions. But somehow, he always managed to smoke his bidi and get a new set of dhoti and jacket once in 6 months. Every winter, he would fall terribly sick, and we would worry for his life. Come spring, and he would spring back to life like a lark. Every Republic Day, he would save the packet of laddoos for my sister and me. Somehow, those always tasted better than the ones given to us in school. He was known as the jugaad king. When no one in the city could get a job done, he would get it done by hook or by crook.

My parents relied on him a lot and would leave us home under his watch while they were travelling. And come what may, he would not budge from our main gate until they came back.

Well, life went on. I got into medicine and would visit home twice a year. I loved to see him every time I visited home. It has been more than 25 years now, but he remains etched in my memory forever.

In our lives, we connect with many people who bring a lot of joy to us without any expectations. He was one such person. He had no immediate family, but to us, he was more than family. I don’t have the matchbox collection anymore, nor do I have a picture of his. However, he was a cherished part of my childhood. He indirectly taught me that it takes very little to be happy and lead a content life. All we need is to care a little for each other, and that leaves us with memories to cherish for a lifetime.

©️Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker

Best Bariatric Surgeon in Mumbai, India

Picture courtesy- Google

GRATITUDE

Bariatric Surgery
gratitude

©️Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker

I love sitting around in the surgical lounge for a bit after the surgery is over. It is usually here that we end up meeting our colleagues and have some light banter. We talk about this and that and then get on with our day.

This morning, in one of the hospitals I visit, I met the hospital owner in the OT lounge. My anesthetist friend and I, complimented him for creating a superb facility and delivering high quality healthcare to people in that part of the city. To our surprise, he was taken aback totally and said that most people only call him up to complain and raise issues, rarely does he receive compliments. This set me thinking.

It has been 25 years since I entered the field of medicine. In these 25 years, I have collected immense amount of career capital and achieved many professional milestones. But that is not all. More importantly I have made hundreds of friends and forged many beautiful relationships. Some are conventional and some very unconventional.

For instance, the friendly watchman outside one of the hospitals, who always greets me with a great smile. (And primes me about how many patients are waiting already)

A kind driver of another consultant who helps me park my car for last so many years! (Reflects on my parking skills too ?)

The mausi who ensures to serve my coffee without sugar. (Just the way I like it)

The wardboy who volunteers to do the daily dressing of my patient with a chronic wound and doesn’t give up until it heals. (Loved to see the glint of happiness in his eyes when the wound healed)

The nurse who continues to care for others even after tragedy struck her own family. (I wish I can be as strong as her)

The boy in the hospital canteen who serves me food everyday. (Given his way, I would put on 2 kgs every month)

The manager who always hears me out patiently everytime I call to complain about a million issues. (His patience is enviable)

The fellow surgeons who always support when stress comes calling. (No questions asked, no judgement ever)

The list is endless. But there is a special connection with each of them. We share a common universe, a common purpose, we are there for each other and whether we know it or not, we rely on each other in many ways. Every morning when I walk into the hospital, I feel reassured to see familiar faces. We have our differences at times, but these bonds are unbreakable. We share our lives together.

On the face of it, it may appear that the world is turning more and more bitter, but if we look around us, in our immediate universe we will find a lot of sweetness in small things and kind gestures. It’s high time we appreciate our blessings and express our gratitude.

It’s time to say “thank you” to every one of these special people for being a part of my life and making me who I am.

©️Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker

“FOLLOW YOUR HEART”, NO…. “LET THE HEART FOLLOW YOU ❤️”

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©️ Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker

“Follow your heart and it will lead you to the right place!”

This is the advice that I have been doling out to my colleagues and juniors for as long as I can remember. This has been my own mantra in life too. I love what I do and I receive every new day as a blessing.

However, I recently started reading a book by the celebrated author- Cal Newport and that made me reflect a little more on this. I guess it’s high time for me to start reflecting… as almost fifty percent or more of my life has already passed by! ?

I am a very passionate doctor and a more passionate surgeon. There is not an iota of doubt that I love what I do and revel in the satisfaction and gratification that I derive from my chosen profession. And I can say with confidence that finally, it has all worked out well.

However, 25 years ago, when I first walked through the gates of my medical school, was it because of “passion” for medicine? Was I following my heart? I am not so sure. Well, for starters, back then, medicine and engineering were probably the two most coveted career options. That didn’t leave us with much of a choice unless you wish to include the “civil services” too. To add to that were my parents’ aspirations and especially my father’s, who was very hopeful that I will be a doctor some day. I also loved biology and thought that medicine would be the logical career progression, without realizing that studying the anatomy of frogs was a whole different world than dealing with patients. Ofcourse I cannot ignore the overarching influence of Bollywood where doctors were treated like God and their superpowers included diagnosing pregnancy by palpating the pulse of their patients 🙂 . I guess I also had the bare minimum IQ level to get through the entrance examination back in the days when there was no Kota and no Byju’s. Well, Kota did exist geographically but hadn’t achieved the fame levels of today! Then there was peer pressure, a competitive streak, an aspiration to be amongst the best students, some lofty ideals and the works…. So these were some of the reasons that kind of pushed me into the world of medicine and I am guessing many people would have had reasons similar to mine.
©️ Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker

Was “passion” a part of this pot pourri of my reasons to become a doctor? Was I following my heart? Well I did think so, until recently. After reading this new book I thought about this a little more…..

25 years ago as elated as I was to get into medical school, I had less than zero idea about what I was getting into. Like many other medical students I have no doctors in the family. I had no exposure to a hospital. I had no idea whatsoever about what it takes to get through the decade-long arduous journey of under-graduation and post-graduation. Back then no one shadowed anyone. There was no way to find out what to expect. No one to warn how hard it was going to be. Ofcourse, once we enter the med school, reality does check in quite soon and we realize within months what we have signed up for. But as far as “passion” is concerned, I don’t think I had enough information to able to feel justifiably “passionate” about my chosen field.

It was hard in the beginning (med school can be quite daunting to start with) but gradually it also became fascinating. The deeper we delved into the mysteries of human mind and body, the more I started enjoying it. It still beats me how we could retain thousands of pages of medical literature in our minds and get through neverending torturous exams (I still get nightmares about those exams). Interacting with patients and being able to reach to a diagnosis would bring in another level of high. The excitement about the first delivery, first murmur, first suture, first surgery and the list of other marvelous firsts was endless. I guess I didn’t even realize when I fell in love with medicine and when passion slowly started creeping in and making its way. If wide- eyed is an expression to be taken seriously then I guess I was wide- eyed for pretty much most of the time and I guess I still am! Its almost magical to experience healing manifest so beautifully. I finally ended up being a bariatric surgeon and I guess a decent one at that. But was it a result of my passion for bariatric surgery? Absolutely not… because when I got into the thick of things, bariatric surgery was not even a thing in India.

So did I follow my heart or did my heart follow everything else that I did? I guess the point that I am getting to is that we probably need to learn to enjoy and put in our best efforts in whatever we do. Life is a series of surprises and many a times failing at something or not being able to get our own way, could be that hidden opportunity that may be leading us to our destiny. I discussed this briefly with some of my close girl friends and one of them rightly said that whatever we do must bring in fulfillment, it must contribute in a meaningful way and at the same time must lead to growth for us and those around us. It would be nice to be able to take educated decisions but not all of us are that lucky or pragmatic. Life can be unpredictable and has the potential to throw some pretty dark stuff at us. People who get to follow their passion as their life’s work are blessed. But people who turn their life’s work into their passion are equally blessed. At the end of the day it’s all about a “job well done”.

So, in conclusion, going forward, I am going to tweak my advice a little bit. “Don’t just follow your heart”, sometimes allow the heart to follow and add “passion” as a special ingredient in every chapter of your life! While cultivating a job for your passion is desirable, sometimes cultivating passion for your job may be equally fulfilling. The mantra to success was never simple but take each day as it comes. Love whatever you do and it will bring you a lot of happiness in return.

Cheers!

©️ Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker

PS- The book I am reading is called- “Be so good they can’t ignore you” by Cal Newport

Learn to just be

Bariatric Surgery

LEARN TO JUST BE

Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker

It fills me with wonder when I look at the sky,
Its a beautiful blue as far as I can see with my eye,
Rays of the glowing sun peep through the clouds with silver lining,
And pretty birds soar as high as they can fly in the sky,

The sun, the clouds and the birds, the sky is in love with them all.

I envy you O’ sky because you are so everloving and hopeful that you can….. just be.

It fills me with wonder as I look at the tall mountain,
Who lets the river flow through it and give the gift of life,
To the seed that will grow eventually into a beautiful tree.
The mountain is effortless as it gives space to the river to flow and the tree to grow.

I envy you O’ mountain because you are so magnanimous….you can…. just be……

It fills me with wonder as I look at the tiny flower,
That dares to grow in the bed of grass,
A bright yellow in all its beauty,
Not afraid of being trampled along and crushed by this world,

I envy you O’ flower because you couldn’t care less and you can dare to …..just be…..

It fills me with wonder sometimes when I look at me,
Hope and love are what I want to be,
The gift of life is precious, but sometimes I falter,
And run in this race to get ahead of the unknown.
Life is short, and I need to make an effort to get away from the cacophony and get above the noise,
To find some peace, and learn to ….. just be.

Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker