Heroes Not Zombies

As these glorious hyacinths transition from showing the delicate colour to the full bloom beauty of this……

I got thinking again about that advice to be present, to live in “the now”, to enjoy the moment, because if we hadn’t focused on the future several months ago we wouldn’t have planted the bulbs which are now producing these glorious flowers.

So if we live in the moment without a thought to the future, then, how’s that going to go? Yet if we focus all our attention on the future, then we’ll miss the rich delights of the everyday.

This need to be present whilst thinking ahead reminded me of the practice of Medicine. When a patient came to see me I had to be fully present in order to understand them properly. In those moments I had to make a diagnosis, a prognosis and initiate a treatment. When they came back for a review I had to be fully present and prepared to let go of the previous diagnosis, prognosis and/or treatments if the situation had changed, whether for the better or the worse.

The key to the dilemma was non attachment….the practice of letting go of prior assumptions and assessments as the situation changed.

When I was training to be a GP, a consultant Obstetrician I was working for, told me, one day in a labour ward, that “obstetrics” meant “to stand and wait”….then moments later called for gloves and forceps to intervene!

Watchful waiting might capture it. We don’t have to intervene or act all the time. Sometimes it’s best to be present and engaged with an eye on today and the days ahead in the same moment, ever ready to be flexible so we can adapt and change as the need arises.

I read a paper today about prostate cancer. The researchers divided patients with prostatic cancer into three groups….one to get surgery, another to receive radiotherapy and a third to have “active monitoring” (a kind of watchful waiting). All three groups had the same 10 and 15 year survival rates, both from prostate cancer, and all other causes of death.

I think of all that as I admire these hyacinths and think where we’re going to plant the autumn bulbs we’ve just bought.

It seems being present and thinking ahead are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they blend together beautifully.