Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Don’t forget to seek out the beauty in your life

Ahmad Bailony, MD
Physician
March 9, 2015
Share
Tweet
Share

One of the cornerstones of the practice of medicine is finding imperfection in things. When the doctor encounters the patient, the latter expects the former to find out what is “wrong.” In fact, I often see a patient and find nothing wrong, and when I voice this out loud the parents often ask, “Are you sure?”

I completed medical school over 7 and a half years ago. During that time I’ve been constantly taught to search for that which is erroneous, and I recently realized that I have let that mentality invade my own personal life on occasion.

One of my favorite things to do is watch the San Diego Chargers play football. I’ve been watching their games since I can first remember being a child, and I continue to do so as an adult. The only contrast between my childhood and now is that I no longer just sit back and enjoy football. Instead, I pace all over the house, give myself heartburn, and then critique every play as if my analysis will eliminate world poverty. The pediatrician part of me has crept into my personal life and over time, I have learned to look for the imperfect instead of enjoying that which is perfect (not that watching the Chargers play football is anything near perfect).

These lessons in being critical started early in life. Being raised an Arab-American, finding things to critique is central to my culture. As a child I recall bringing my report card home to my loving mother was a terrifying experience; it felt like being audited by the IRS. My first “C” grade in life came during college. I remember telling my mother about my grade and getting a lecture about how I would never find a real job with those grades. Luckily I think I turned out OK though. (Side note, I love my mother; she raised me to be the man I am.)

In fact, I became the physician I am today, and as a doctor, it is critical that I always find what is wrong. But as a human it is just as crucial that I also celebrate everything that is right. There is a copious amount of beauty in our lives, and it often lies right beneath our nose. The other day, in the midst of a hectic afternoon at work, a little 4-year-old girl wearing a Frozen jacket came out of the bathroom, walked up to me in the hallway and gave me a hug. I don’t know if I deserved it, but I undeniably know I needed it.

It is challenging to not let my outlook as a physician affect my perspective as a whole. In life as in medicine, there is much imperfection and inequality. It is woven into the fabric of our humanity, and it is essential to my practice as a physician to be fully aware of these shortcomings.

Sadly, the world is not all rainbows and roses. Nevertheless, that does not mean those things do not exist. These days, I try to always remind myself to take some time and actually smell the roses in life. I live in beautiful San Diego, and so many days I go outside and watch the sunset. It is a reminder that no matter the hustle and bustle of the day, there is a perfect moment at the end if one seeks it out.

May we always seek out the beauty in our lives.

Ahmad Bailony is a pediatrician.

Prev

Say no to meddling in medicine

March 9, 2015 Kevin 12
…
Next

Top stories in health and medicine, March 10, 2015

March 10, 2015 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Pediatrics

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Say no to meddling in medicine
Next Post >
Top stories in health and medicine, March 10, 2015

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Ahmad Bailony, MD

  • Society doesn’t allow doctors to be human

    Ahmad Bailony, MD
  • Researching violence is something we must do

    Ahmad Bailony, MD
  • What a pediatrician learned from having ranch dressing on his stethoscope

    Ahmad Bailony, MD

More in Physician

  • How subjective likability practices undermine Canada’s health workforce recruitment and retention

    Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD
  • Why judgment is hurting doctors—and how mindfulness can heal

    Jessie Mahoney, MD
  • Why evidence-based management may be an effective strategy for stronger health care leadership and equity

    Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD
  • The gift we keep giving: How medicine demands everything—even our holidays

    Tomi Mitchell, MD
  • From burnout to balance: a neurosurgeon’s bold career redesign

    Jessie Mahoney, MD
  • Why working in Hawai’i health care isn’t all paradise

    Clayton Foster, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

      Trevor Lyford, MPH | Policy
    • How New Mexico became a malpractice lawsuit hotspot

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors are reclaiming control from burnout culture

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

      Dave Cummings, RN | Policy
    • How digital tools are reshaping the doctor-patient relationship

      Vineet Vishwanath | Tech
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

      Trevor Lyford, MPH | Policy
    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
  • Recent Posts

    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Decoding your medical bill: What those charges really mean

      Cheryl Spang | Finance
    • The emotional first responders of aesthetic medicine

      Sarah White, APRN | Conditions
    • Why testosterone matters more than you think in women’s health

      Andrea Caamano, MD | Conditions
    • A mind to guide the machine: Why physicians must help shape artificial intelligence in medicine

      Shanice Spence-Miller, MD | Tech
    • How subjective likability practices undermine Canada’s health workforce recruitment and retention

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 1 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

      Trevor Lyford, MPH | Policy
    • How New Mexico became a malpractice lawsuit hotspot

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors are reclaiming control from burnout culture

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

      Dave Cummings, RN | Policy
    • How digital tools are reshaping the doctor-patient relationship

      Vineet Vishwanath | Tech
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

      Trevor Lyford, MPH | Policy
    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
  • Recent Posts

    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Decoding your medical bill: What those charges really mean

      Cheryl Spang | Finance
    • The emotional first responders of aesthetic medicine

      Sarah White, APRN | Conditions
    • Why testosterone matters more than you think in women’s health

      Andrea Caamano, MD | Conditions
    • A mind to guide the machine: Why physicians must help shape artificial intelligence in medicine

      Shanice Spence-Miller, MD | Tech
    • How subjective likability practices undermine Canada’s health workforce recruitment and retention

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Don’t forget to seek out the beauty in your life
1 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...