End of Vacation

Today is back-to-work day after the two most wonderful weeks off that I could possibly ask for. The time away has been completely restorative. I got plenty of sleep, despite bright daylight from 5 am to 1 am. I indulged myself in the luxury of spending hours reading the archived posts of some of my favorite bloggers. And I spent lots of time in the "zone", where the creative process of writing occurs. That process charges me, and I love the energy. You, gentle readers, are very much part of that dynamic process; you have given me positive feedback, which has contributed to the charge and encouraged me to continue. And for that I thank you, one and all.

As I turn my attention back to the hospital and the health-related events around the region, I find that I have missed it quite a bit and do feel ready to return. I've missed talking to the health aides each day, and look forward to catching up on happenings in my three villages. And I have missed seeing patients. As always, when I have been away from the practice of medicine for a couple of weeks, I have some trepidation about starting back; I'm always afraid that I've forgotten all the medicine I know. I haven't, but it feels that way at first.

It is also time to start preparing for my next village trip. I am totally excited about that; I have not been to Pilot Station for 18 months. Village trips are a low priority when we are short staffed at the hospital, and we have been for nearly a year. Fortunately, there are enough temporary medical staff coming up to work brief assignments here this summer to allow permanent staff to get out to our villages. It is the part of my job that I love the most, and I am really looking forward to going up to the Yukon River. There is quite a bit of preparation beforehand that I will get started on this week. I'll be there June 17th to the 24th. I'll be blogging from the village, with photos!