“Gratitude … secures the kind of joy that us human beings look for. I always say joy is the happiness that doesn’t depend on what happens. And, usually, we have the idea, well, when something nice happens, then I’m happy, and when something bad happens, of course I’m unhappy. Well, you can be unhappy, and …Read More
Author: Dr. Joel Ying, MD
Physician-Educator-Storyteller. Integrating the power of story into medicine, healing sessions, workshops, speaking and performance.
Speaking in Praise – the Song of a Friend
“A friend is someone who knows your song, and sings it back to you when you forget.” ~ adapted from an anonymous quote My friend, R. Sunde, is an inspiring role model that I met at Toastmasters, the organization I joined nearly a decade ago to improve my public speaking skills. Sunde is full of …Read More
“I get plenty of exercise at work.”
As the New Year resolve begins to wane, I’m reminded of the many times I have heard the statement: “I get plenty of exercise at work.” Many people who say this have stressful jobs, and they just can’t imagine fitting another thing into their life. Robert Sapolsky, author of Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers: An …Read More
Fooling With Words – Golden Retrievals
“One of poetry’s greatest powers is its preservative ability to take a moment in time and make an attempt to hold onto it.” ~ Mark Doty Poetry is one of my great loves for how it often captures what is beyond words, and in that great paradox, captures it with words. Poetry connects us through …Read More
Stanley Kunitz – inspiring poetry
In his nineties, a slight old man walks up to the stage at the Dodge Poetry Festival to a huge applause. The poet, Stanley Kunitz, became poet laureate at the age of 95 and wrote poetry up until he was 100 years old. If that alone does not inspire you, listen to his poetry. Watch …Read More
Poet: Debra Hiers begins with Love
“If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry.” ~ Emily Dickinson Every now and then, a poem captures my attention. This poem came to me from a friend at the start of 2017. So commanding is the poem, that I have committed it to …Read More
India Arie – I Am Light
“My mission in life is to spread love, healing, peace, and joy through the power of words and music.” ~ India Arie I am always inspired by those that live their mission. Grammy Award winning, India Arie, lives her mission, lives her dream, and inspires us with her songs. On this start of the year, …Read More
Tai Chi and Mindfulness
I started Tai Chi in 2001 after completing my Internship year of Medical Residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. Instead of 80 hours a week, it would now be 60. (I’m sort of kidding. I’ve blocked that memory so I made up the numbers.) Still, I thought I’d have more free time, and I …Read More
Minimalism – less stuff is more
“What did we do before we knew we needed all this stuff?“ My seventy-year-old friend suddenly paused in the middle of a story of her childhood and then asked me this question. While it was definitely a question, it seemed more like a statement. I was speechless. Simple things are profound. Life was much simpler …Read More
Silly Things – The Importance of Play
“Friends don’t let friends do silly things alone.” ~ from BlueMountain e-card To all my friends out there that get silly with me, you know who you are. Thank you! I’m looking forward to a New Year of more fun, more silliness, more play. As a child, I remember the day that I decided to grow …Read More