Ode to My Socks by Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) Maru Mori brought mea pairof sockswhich she knitted herselfwith her sheepherder’s hands,two socks as softas rabbits.I slipped my feetinto themas though intotwocasesknittedwith threads oftwilightand goatskin.Violent socks,my feet weretwo fish madeof wool,two long sharkssea-blue, shotthroughby one golden thread,two immense blackbirds,two cannons:my feetwere honoredin this waybytheseheavenlysocks.They wereso handsomefor the first …Read More
Author: Dr. Joel Ying, MD
Physician-Educator-Storyteller. Integrating the power of story into medicine, healing sessions, workshops, speaking and performance.
Thanksgiving ~ Edgar Guest
Thanksgiving~ by Edgar Guest (1881-1959) Gettin’ together to smile an’ rejoice,An’ eatin’ an’ laughin’ with folks of your choice;An’ kissin’ the girls an’ declarin’ that theyAre growin’ more beautiful day after day;Chattin’ an’ braggin’ a bit with the men,Buildin’ the old family circle again;Livin’ the wholesome an’ old-fashioned cheer,Just for awhile at the end of …Read More
Thinking ~ Walter Wintel
Thinking~ by Walter D. Wintle If you think you are beaten, you areIf you think you dare not, you don’t,If you like to win, but you think you can’tIt is almost certain you won’t. If you think you’ll lose, you’re lostFor out of the world we find,Success begins with a fellow’s willIt’s all in the …Read More
Walking Home
As a resident doctor, I remember the intense days with overnight shifts, very little sleep, and emotional roller coasters. Most patients come to the hospital at their lowest. Over time, I just became numb to the endless cycle of new faces with the same problems—chest pain, fever, abdominal pain, shortness of breath, and only sometimes …Read More
The Moment One Definitely Commits ~ W. H. Murray
“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one …Read More
Day of the Dead
In many cultures it is said that you die twice. First, when your body leaves this earthly plane. Second, when there is no one left that loves you to utter your name on their lips. On this day of the dead, many cultures have ceremonies to remember and honor their ancestors, visits to graveyards to …Read More
Double, double toil and trouble ~ Shakespeare
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the three witches predict the future with double meanings and duplicity. The clever predictions spur Macbeth towards heinous choices and into murderous actions. The famous incantation echoes, “Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.” We know that no good can come from listening to the witches, but Macbeth’s ambition …Read More
Qigong for Balance ~ Mantak Chia
According to Mantak Chia, an internationally celebrated master of inner alchemy and Qigong, the key to good health, longevity, and even abundance, is balancing the positive and negative energies that exist both within us and in nature. Ideally, if we can achieve balance — internally and with the natural world — our body, our life, and all of our existence …Read More
Drinking water from a firehose
It’s 9am as I enter the back of the lecture hall. I glance towards my usual seat — left side, off center, four rows back. I pause at the top of the steps. My eyes adjust to the dim of the indoor lights against the dark industrial carpet. From the back of the lecture hall, …Read More
The Unknown Soldier ~ Billy Rose
The Unknown Soldier There’s a graveyard near the White HouseWhere the Unknown Soldier lies,And the flowers there are sprinkledWith the tears from mother’s eyes. I stood there not so long agoWith roses for the brave,And suddenly I heard a voiceSpeak from out the grave: “I am the Unknown Soldier,”The spirit voice began“And I think I …Read More