There are so many times in life where we find ourselves at a juncture to change, upgrade or challenge our current situations. Whether it’s a new job, a new relationship or a career change, life is privy to a rollercoaster of variety which makes it all the more worth living. Yet, when we’re faced with these tough times, HOW we approach the change can make all of the difference. Being able to “go with the flow” and be mindful always seems intuitively ideal and easy, but can be so difficult to do. If we focus too much on the future, the present escapes us; if we focus too much on the present moment, we can’t see where we’re going. And, of course, focusing on the past does nothing to benefit us, but to ignore it is equally as inhibiting. Finding “mindfulness” a whole other issue and another blog for another day, becomes a delicate balance of present, future and the past.

But with change comes growth and also difficult times.

As a locum tenens providers, my hour glass flips and my GPS magnet spins at an almost incessant rate. Just as soon as I find myself set on one direction, it changes again and I find myself in a quandary of adaptation and flexibility. I remember when, after a year of working as a Level 1 Nursery Hospitalist and Outpatient Clinic Pediatrician, I was offered a chance to jump back into doing Pediatric Inpatient Medicine in St. Louis, MO. I was so scared! I called my recruiter freaking out at the idea of seeing 10+ potentially fairly sick kids in the hospital per day when my average before had been 0. I remember the first day I walked into a clinic as an Attending and everything was 180 degrees different from my training.

Now again, I find myself at an important juncture of direction changes and railroad tracks as I prepare mentally to once again change my job duties and jump back into being a Level 2 Nursery/Neonatal Hospitalist in Maine – something that I haven’t *truly* done since June of 2020, 1.5 years ago.

While I’m physically ready to pick up and move and jump from one water lily to the next across some dangerous rapids, my mental state is constantly freezing and thawing multiple thoughts at one time. I am scared out of my mind each time I move on to my next job, and that is exactly why I do what I do.

And, when the going gets tough, as I start to be pushed out into the world while I’d really just like to crawl back into my hotel room and sleep, I remember one thing that my CompHealth recruiter told me, ever brilliantly:

“French Fries and Pizza Still Work on a Double Black Diamond!”

– David G., CompHealth

So I trudge on, slow down my mind, concentrate and hope I can make it down the mountain in one piece. The tools are there, I think, somewhere…

P.S. Watch This and Laugh, Basically My Life…