![]() ![]() ![]() It might not have been so bad had I not made a critical mistake: I had largely neglected my friendships during my tenure, convincing myself that I had to focus on work and I couldn’t do both.Įven when I was physically with the people I loved, I wasn’t present - I was often checking the news and responding to messages in my inbox. I was suddenly disconnected from the colleagues with whom I had spent most of my waking hours. My first stint as surgeon general had just ended. I thought about his story in 2017 when I found myself struggling with loneliness. He soon developed high blood pressure and diabetes. Yet as he sat across from me, he sadly declared, “Winning the lottery was one of the worst things that ever happened to me.” Wealthy but alone, this once vivacious, social man no longer knew his neighbors and had lost touch with his former co-workers. He quit his job and moved into a large house in a gated community. He had worked for years in the food industry with a modest salary and humble lifestyle. A patient of mine once shared with me a most unusual story. ![]()
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