What am I doing here?

For the longest time I have loved writing.

As a kid, I used to escape in letters to friends in far away places, stories of adventure and recorded observations of the world around me.  I hated diaries, though.  I didn’t want to write things that simply listed the events of the day, attached to static information like weather, games, sports, vacations and the like.  What I loved were ideas.  My pen gave me the freedom to roam through random thoughts…. things that were disconnected could often find attachments to other imaginings.  Things that appeared confusing would start to make sense.  Brief mental interludes could be expanded to longer stories and some sense could be made of things that brought wonder.

And it was all done on paper.

For the most part, the act of writing was an act of processing.  It was a reflection of the way I learned.  Outlining ideas… giving them texture… writing in detail.  This was best done with pencil and an eraser.  The odd time I would have to go back and make changes, to reword things so that thoughts flowed and ideas aligned.  Now we have computers.  Online editors.  Copy, paste, highlight, delete.  Thoughts on the keyboard are quicker, but somehow lack depth when I write.  So, even now, it starts with pencil on paper.

So what am I doing here?

In our crazily busy days, it seems that there is no time to sit and reflect.  There is little opportunity to tie together random ideas and thoughts into a more productive narrative.  Notions are lost because they cannot be thoroughly explored, and connected with others, or even shared.  In this world of 140 character meaning, we lack the mental space to think bigger and to explore.  As well, as we age, ideas come in a much larger context of experience and with much more meaning and rich context attached.  Writing ensures that there is room to pause, reflect and conclude thoughts that seem to constantly pop in and out of consciousness.

First, when I thought about writing, I was struck with the sense that I had nothing useful to say.  At least, I had nothing to say that others would want to hear.  And maybe not everything will be read.  Perhaps some ideas will remain private and never be shared.  But the possibility of putting them out there for comment, review and even to start a conversation is exciting to me.  These words are not the end of a line of thinking. I see them as the beginning.

So welcome to my blog.  Here I will be exploring topics of quality in healthcare, ehealth, education, leadership, and more.  I hope you will read to the end.  I hope you will add your voice.  I hope to remain relevant and do all of this with a sense of curiosity and fun.  Stay tuned….

Darren.

 

PS.  At the exact same moment I was writing this, Dr. Shawn Whatley posted an excellent piece in his blog about “Why Doctors Should Write”.  It can be found at shawnwhatley.com .  Excellent read!  He inspires many of us…..