Louisville Medicine Volume 66, Issue 12 | Page 35

REFLECTIONS Reflections IS THIS VANITY? Teresita Bacani-Oropilla, MD I n a tiny country home in rural Kentucky, we visited a lady whose smile lines radiat- ed from her eyes. She sat comfortably in her rocker amid her prized photos. Most prominent was a collage of the faces of her grand and great-grandchildren. Though physically slow from age, she was still sharp of mind. After a few amenities, she proceeded with great pride to enumerate those in the picture and their accom- plishments. Best of all, she appreciated these kin still coming to visit her despite the busyness of their lives. This contented lady was actually the repository of the strivings, triumphs, failures, courage, redemptions, and love of her now scattered brood. This is not unique; each and every one of us carries memories of those who influenced our own lives and made us who we are. We, in turn, leave our marks on those whose lives we touch. Encounters may be intermittent or last for a lifetime. Some however may be so brief and seemingly inconsequential, that we realize only later they left a vital imprint on our lives. On the other hand, some meetings are so profound, life changing or lifesaving, that we think often of them later. This sort happens often among those in the medical profession. We carry a great responsibility for the things we say or do. These events we like to preserve in memory for ourselves and others who come after us. We like to be remembered preferably in a positive light and leave smiles, wisdom, humor, or something worthwhile behind. On the flip side, if we did not do so well, we did learn from our foibles and mistakes so that others may profit from them. In retrospect therefore, what are we doing now to leave a small legacy of our own brief passage in this mortal world? What would we like our grandmothers to brag on about us? Is this just vanity on our part, or is this a desire to fulfill the purpose for which we were born? Each of us must decide. Dr. Bacani-Oropilla is a retired psychiatrist. MAY 2019 33