Health is Wealth

The first piece of my ‘artwork’ that I’m going to share with you comes from my work on Procreate, an app for the iPad. Just in time for Christmas, my favourite holiday!  I am by no means an expert artist - not even close! But there’s something special about getting into the Christmas season by doodling. From my heart to yours, I wish you a very Merry and blessed Christmas. The season has so much to offer - from hope, to love, to gratitude, to peace.   The birth of Jesus Christ into the world brings us joy - we are not alone in our struggles here. God’s love for us in sending us His Son to save us brings us hope and comfort. I pray that you are surrounded by love this Christmas season. I pray that the joy of the holidays and the warmth of loved ones allows you to realize how blessed you are, and how much joy you bring to others. Take some time to let your family and friends know how special they are to you. Slow down and cherish the simple pleasures and blessings of life: from ...

I never realized how much I love drawing and colouring until I allowed myself to finally explore this in my bullet journal and on my iPad. This, dear readers, is the story I have wanted to share for a while: the birth of my BJ last year, in 2021. It took me a while to decide on sharing this part of my life because to be honest, my BJ is something really personal to me. I hope by sharing this story - and parts of my BJ here - you will be inspired to create, to explore your hobbies, to become vulnerable through art, and to learn more about yourself and your talents/interests. (Note: no images in this post are mine. When I share my work, it'll be clear that it is mine!). I used to spend time on Pinterest exploring pins on bullet journals, adoring the spreads before me. I loved the ideas there, but for some reason, felt like I could never do this. First, I was not 'good' at art. Second, I didn't even OWN a bullet journal or tools to draw/colour. Third, I didn't have the...

October brings about the beautiful colours of fall - leaves gracefully shedding from trees, changing colour from orange to yellow and red. It is quite a lovely sight. Although I quite dislike the weather getting colder, there is something special, touching, and lovely about the autumn season.  October - at least in Canada - hosts Thanksgiving Day. Traditionally, people get together and eat turkey and gravy, stuffing and pie, etc. But what is thanksgiving really about? You may or may not be familiar with the Pilgrim history. I'm not getting into that here. Instead, let's take a moment to reflect about the important of gratitude in our lives. It is easy to go about our days and not stop to be mindful of our blessings. Consider how busy your day is - from getting up in the morning, going to work or school, interacting with dozens of people, taking care of yourself and others, etc...there is A LOT happening in one day!  An 'attitude of gratitude' is important to have. It fo...

  No one likes to be challenged out of their 'comfort zone'. You know - the place where you know you will succeed. Please note that I am not talking about real safety. There is a HUGE difference between challenging yourself to do something you are worried you will fail at, and putting yourself at risk of harm. I am not a 'risk-taker' by any means. I hate roller-coasters. I despise scary movies. I don't speed through yellow lights hoping to pass through. At the same time, I'm not superstitious. I will take some risks if I think that they are reasonable. I will apply for positions that I am not sure I will get. I will try drawing something that I have never tried before. I will (cautiously!) try new yoga positions to test my balance. At the same time, I very much dislike getting out of my comfort zone in certain situations. For example, I applied to a position a while ago, feeling nervous that I would not get it. I mean, how awful would it be if I did NOT get it? ...

Death is always a difficult topic to discuss - whether we are mourning someone in our own lives, or trying to comfort others who have lost someone. Even if death is 'expected' - as in, someone is ill and we expect them to pass shortly - it is always 'unexpected'. We do not know exactly when someone will pass away, and it always feels 'too soon'. As a doctor, I have faced death on multiple occasions - both in my personal life and in my professional life. Episode 3  of my podcast discusses this is more detail.  I am by no means a grief counsellor...but as a human being and professional who has had to comfort others - and myself - in situations of loss, here are some pearls I have gleamed.  1) When death occurs, acknowledge that is has happened. It is natural to go through some stages of grief, including denial, bargaining, acceptance, etc. Ross and Kessler  describe these in more detail. Essentially, it is okay if you cannot yet 'handle' the fact that some...

I am really blessed and excited to announce that I have a new podcast - 3P (Pills, Pearls, and Patients). You can listen to episodes and subscribe  here . 3P is made possible by Health Plexus. Their team approached me with the idea that many patients and healthcare providers don't always get access into what it is like to be a family doctor. And I agree. As family physicians, we see a little bit about everything! As patients, you may have questions about your healthcare, want to learn more about how to communicate with your doctor, and so forth.3P is primarily aimed towards healthcare providers - many episodes do discuss approaches to medical conditions. However, patients can benefit as well. In this podcast, I discuss communication tips, resources, strategies to manage conditions (ranging from physical ailments like diabetes to mental concerns like anxiety).  I love recording this podcast! I purposely don't edit out many parts to show listeners that 'things don't have ...

Two weeks ago, we had quite a rough storm in the GTA. The rain was quite hard, as was the wind. It was powerful enough to knock out power, phone lines, and trees. The damage that was sustained was incredible.  People were impacted in different ways. Some homes lost power for 3 or more days, while others had trees crash down on their cars and roofs. Sadly, ten people actually lost their lives to the storm. I was fortunate enough not to lose power at my home, although we were without internet access at work. This was incredibly frustrating! A phone pole went down, so we could not call patients, access our EMR, fax, and more. You can imagine how this slowed down work. It was difficult for us as physicians, but also for patients. We managed and did our best - but in the end of the day, the power outage was just plain annoying. As a group, we tried to manage as best as we could. Thankfully, we have a great team at our clinic, so we were able to make do with what we could. This meant usi...

It might not look or feel like spring all the time right now, but spring is definitely upon us!  (Well, it's slowlyyyyy starting to warm up!) There’s something beautiful about moving from winter into spring. My sister always says that every season is special in its own way - and that is true! To me, spring represents new life. Winter is passing and ending - and with it, spring arrives.  Spring brings new life. It brings hope. The snow gets cleared away to make room for grass and flowers. The weather turns from chilly to comfortable. The skies open up with light. The birds migrate and sing.  Hate you heard of ‘spring cleaning’? The idea is that with a new season, we clean out our homes to make them organized and ‘new’. The idea is that you are getting ready for a new season.  What do you need to ‘spring clean’ right now? Does your physical space need cleaning? Do you need to get more organized? Does your schedule need to be revisited so that you can prioritize your va...

 Easter is upon us, it is a time to celebrate That Christ gave us everlasting life - death is not our end fate. Spring has begun, and flowers will grow, Hello to the sunshine, goodbye to the snow! I hope that this Easter, you can find the time to smile, To see how God brought you here, mile by mile. Life isn't always easy, this much is true... but God is always there; He is always holding you. May this Easter season remind you of all there is to be thankful for, Even the times that were tough - God has greater plans for you in store! Jesus died for our sins, but He was risen up on the third day, To give you hope and joy - death, pain and sorrow can have no say. Jesus loves you, and He gave up His life for your sake, So that in His everlasting joy you can partake. Happy Easter to you, may this time fill you with joy and peace, The Lord's promises are new everyday; His grace will never cease!

 I love to draw in my bullet journal - and I am by no means an artist. I started a bullet journal in which I draw and colour quotes, Bible verses, reminders, etc. I am not a talented doodler, nor can I write in fancy ways like others. But, I really enjoy keeping my bullet journal . It provides me with a creative outlet, and seeing the end product of each page is very satisfying. Furthermore, when I draw and colour in my journal, I feel calm. It is my time and space to 'be with myself'. A while ago, I was trying to draw a shield to go with a Bible verse (Psalm 28:7)...and it turned out awful! It did not look like a nice depiction of shield. I was frustrated - the entire page looked so beautiful, except for that strange 'shield'. I had carefully written out the verse in beautiful handwriting, and the colours looked great. And yet, with that shield, I felt as though I ruined the page. I wanted to rip it out...but the back side of the page had another Bible verse that I enj...

Valentine's Day doesn't have to be about romantic relationships. It is a day to celebrate love. Celebrate the people in your life who love you just the way you are. The people who appreciate you and accept you, even when you are not cheerful or joyful. Thank the people who support you, despite you having short-comings. Let these individuals know that you appreciate them. Take time to give thanks for your coworkers who support you, for the friends who listen to you, and for the blessings God has given you. Embrace that love is a beautiful thing - pure, unconditional love lasts forever. It doesn't judge. It doesn't give up. It doesn't know any limits. Jesus is the purest example of love . He died for our sins, even though He was at no fault. And each day, He forgives and accepts us all over again.  And love yourself. Love that even though you have imperfections, you are a child of God. You are loved, chosen, needed, and wonderfully and perfectly made. Whoever is in y...

Another year has come upon us, even though it may be strange To welcome the ups and downs, and to embrace the concept of change. The pandemic has altered much of what we do, From the way we work, to live, to socializing, too. You may have experienced stressors - we all have had our days, When navigating through life has been as tough as a maze. You may have had times when you didn't think you'd carry on, But here you are, you made it - and there is the light of dawn. Times have been tough, there is no doubt, But I hope you have had a chance to let your emotions out. I hope this year, you have time to breathe and take it slow, To realize how strong you are, and how loved you are, you must know! I pray that this year brings about lessons and a smile, And that it brings you to reconnect with people you haven't spoken to in a while. I pray that you learn new things about yourself, And that you prioritize your physical and mental health. I pray that you are open to experiences, ...