It’s one of life’s big milestones, though for those of us who grew up listening to the Beatles, perhaps an even bigger one is sixty-four. When patients brought it up and lamented the passage of time, I’d relate this story:
I remember when I turned forty I said to myself, in baseball terms, “You know, pal, you could be rounding second base.” When I turned sixty, I said to my ex-wife, “Does this mean that I’m rounding third and heading for home?” She smiled, patted my arm and said, “No, you had a collision with the shortstop.”
I am eager to share your stories and analogies with our fellow practitioners. You can submit yours for addition to the Doctors’ Story Bank by emailing them to Stories@ThePerformanceOfMedicine.com. You, of course, retain the right to publish them elsewhere.