History in the Making

Leave a comment June 11, 2019 drworobec

We remember moments; moments in history that define our culture and plot certain times in our lives like the points on a graph, those “where-were-you-when” moments that happen every so often. If you’re a sports fan in Canada, you’re in the midst of one of those moments right now.

Although the official viewing numbers haven”t been released yet, most of us were watching last night, and many of us living in Eastern Standard Time are bleary-eyed, nursing an emotional hangover this morning. Last Friday’s Game 4 win was the highest-ranked sports broadcast of the entire year, and I suspect last night’s game 5 ranks in that mix too. And while a Monday night game is not ideal, settle in friends, our next moment happens on Thursday.

My children have grown into avid sports fans, and although my seven-year-old tapped out after the first quarter, my ten-year old made it to midnight. He was perched on the edge of his seat, watching the final minutes of the game unfold in his pyjama pants and Raptor’s jersey. They’ve seen the excitement building; the Raptor’s days at school, the flags flying on car windows, the #WeTheNorth cupcakes and cookies and hats. And they’ve felt the energy in Burlington’s Burlassic Park and marvelled at the fans camped out in Toronto, waving cardboard Drake heads and jumping for joy. They watch the pre-game promos intently, Raptors in 30 before school, and my seven-year-old daughter can rhyme off the starting lineup and half the bench. They’ll be fans for life, officially hooked.

We’ve been explaining to them the significance of this playoff run for the past couple of months. In their short lifetimes, they’ve also seen the Jays almost get there, and they remember how our living room erupted after Bautista’s 2015 bat flip. But they definitely don’t realize the rarity of this event, and how long Toronto sports fans have been waiting for a championship.

They’ll be watching on Thursday night too, and on Sunday, if it comes to that. And we’ll go to the parade- we’ll load ourselves onto the GO train, we’ll pull them out of school, we’ll be decked out in our Raptor’s red. We’ll join the thousands upon thousands of other fans who have been waiting so long for our team to win. Why? Because this is history in the making.

And that’s the best part of all this, isn’t it? The camaraderie, the collective excitement, the coming-togetherness. We’ve united from coast to coast, all part of a common goal, all sharing a common dream. This is our time, our turn, our year.

Go Raps.

The Good Ol’ Days are Now.

Leave a comment May 28, 2019 drworobec

There are times in history where we all remember where we were when that specific moment passed. Tragic events, like Princess Diana’s death or the events of 9/11, or the really happy stuff, like weddings and babies and birthdays. But what about the day-to-day? The average? The routines?

My son and I were sitting at my daughter’s lacrosse practice on Sunday evening, and in the waning moments of her drills, he started scrolling through the photos on my phone. We reminisced about pictures at the start of my camera roll, dating all the way back to 2013; from loose teeth and Halloween parties to vacations and baseball games. “Oh, the good ol’ days,” he said flippantly, with the tongue-in-cheek nonchalance that only a ten-year-old can muster. He didn’t mean it, of course, but his statement made me take pause.

This was one of the “good ol’ days” photos he was referring to.

The good ol’ days.

The thing about the good ol’ days is that they seem better when shined up with the lens of nostalgia. In fact, in a few years, today will be one of those good ol’ days.

It was a good reminder for me to live in the present, be in the moment, have gratitude for today. It’s something that many of us struggle with I’m sure, and as a Type-A Virgo, my drive to always be onto the next, striving for more, pushing the limits, can sometimes be too much.

Breathe.

Pause.

Take it in.

Today is a good ol’ day.

How are you? No, really.

2 Comments April 30, 2019 drworobec

I’m a bit of an introvert. I recharge with alone time and I do best in small-group settings. Maybe that’s why I love the one-on-one interactions that I have with my patients. Put me in a crowded conference room or a busy house-party and I don’t feel like myself, but put me in a treatment room with a patient and I’m all in.

The conversation with a patient is a delicate balance; technically speaking, my “job” is to conduct a detailed history and physical examination and come up with an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment plan. But I think it’s more than that. I think a big part of my job is to learn about you, to gain your trust, to build a rapport. You see, that’s the part I really love. I like to know what you’ve been up to on the weekend, what your kid’s names are, what makes you tick. I like to learn about your work, your exercise routine, your opinion on the Raptor’s game. And I like to learn those things not because they’ll affect your treatment outcomes (*** but they will, more on that later***), but because I’m genuinely curious to know the answers.

Maybe it’s the same reason that memoirs and autobiographies are my favourite genre of book to read. Simply put, I love to hear people’s stories. I love to learn about how you got to be the person you are- where you’ve lived, where you work, why you’re here. I love to hear your perspective, your opinions, your voice.

My mom has often said that my Grandpa was always so “interested” in those around him. I think I’ve got that gene too. If I ask you how you are, believe me, I’m genuinely curious to know.

And as for patient outcomes? Yes, I believe that a better relationship with your practitioner will lead to better treatment outcomes. I believe it, because I see it happen every day. This website serves as my open book for you to get to know me; that’s always been my theory and the very reason that I started this blog back in 2012. I want you to know me, know my stories, know my world, because I think that starts our relationship. And inside the treatment room, well, that’s my chance to get to know you.

The Hippocratic oath says “first, do no harm.” Ha. We can do better than that, can’t we?