To a Land Far Away

In September, I joined 171 others on an RCGA (St. Louis' Chamber of Commerce) sponsored trip to China. It was a place that I have always wanted to go, but have never wanted to try to figure out on my own and the cost was always prohibitive. Because the Chinese government wants to encourage tourism and business development, they offered the 9 day trip (with airfare from LA, all hotels, meals, exhibits and tours at the four cities we would visit in China) for the very reasonable price of $1990.00. So, I scheduled ETO, raided my savings and signed up. And, am I ever glad I did. From climbing the Great Wall to visiting the Forbidden City to standing in Tianamen Square, it was a once in a lifetime experience. At Olympic Village, I saw the Bird's Nest that was so much more impressive in person than on television. Shanghai is like 12 New Yorks -- skyscrapers and colorful lights abound. Went to the World Expo in Beijing and was taken with the imagination that was so evident in many of the buildings.
What probably stuck with me most is how China is such a collaboration of cultures -- the new and the old, the developed and the undeveloped, the modern and the traditional often sit side by side. It is a visible depiction of the ying and the yang that is so much a part of their lives. We (we traveled in groups of 25 to 30) were honored to have lunch in the home of a family and learned much about what is different and what is the same within our cultures. The one child rule, non-western toilets, and land ownership are very different. A fierce belief in the power of education, hopes and dreams for the future, and the power of positive thinking are similar.
I would be less than truthful if I said I did not think about work and our department while I was there (heck, with technology I was never totally disconnected). I thought of how to incorporate a bit of ying and yang which is really all about balance. How do I help our department better balance the ever increasing demands for our services (it happens when you are good) with our capacity to deliver those services in a satisfying way? What things can we stop doing to make room for new things or to allow us to breathe a little easier and incorporate some time for thinking? I had a work-related meeting with a BJC Medical Group doc a couple of weeks ago and he shared that most of us don't have the ability to really relax -- to really turn off the stimulation and just be in a quiet place. The doctor shared that turning off for just ten minutes a day would do wonders for our health and our work productivity. In China, that is incorporated into their daily activities and no one has ever questioned the productivity of the Chinese. My other favorite observation in China -- in early evening on many street corners and in many parks you find singles and couples engaged in impromptu dancing. For those of you who know me well, you can imagine how envious I was. Maybe that is something that can be imported here.

A Special Trip

Some of you are aware that I just returned from China last week. While that was a great experience, it is not the special trip that is the subject of this post. Instead, the title refers to my trip to the Barnes-Jewish Hospital pharmacy late Saturday morning to pick up a prescription for Flint (my first and only husband). I was dressed in my usual Saturday morning attire of a baseball cap and walking duds since I had just completed my walking trek of the Forest Park bike trail (funny, how I still call it that even though there is a dedicated path for walkers/runners) and was looking none too wonderful. I planned to just rush in, get the prescription and rush back out -- hoping I would not run into anyone I knew. As I walked through the revolving doors I was met by the most awesome of sounds which I realized was the singing of warm-up scales. I continued walking and saw approximately 30 people (their backs to me and dressed almost as fancy as I was) singing in the lobby of the Center for Advanced Medicine. I walked a little slower because the beautiful sound (again, this was just scales) compelled me to listen. The sound wafted up to the third floor and everyone I passed had a hint of a smile on their faces. The staff working behind the pharmacy counter also seemed a bit more joyful (don't get me wrong, they are always helpful and professional, but there seemed to be something extra there on Saturday). I learned from one of the nurses who had accompanied a patient from outside of St. Louis to the pharmacy, that the group rehearsing was the St. Louis Symphony Chorus and they were going to perform on Sunday for patients and their families. The out-of-town patient shared how special he thought it was that the hospital would be so thoughtful as to have such an amazing group come in and entertain. Said he had heard Barnes-Jewish was special, but this was more than he expected.
I applaud the person or persons who came up with the idea of having the chorus come to sing and am so glad I was running an errand at just the right time. It was so neat to see patients, families and staff peering over the balcony to get a glimpse of those who were making such beautiful music -- even just in rehearsal. And, as I relunctantly left the building on Saturday, the words of "more than expected" uttered by the out of town patient echoed as music to my ears. "More than expected" is an apt reflection of what occurs when you take the world's best medicine and make it better.