Relish the Moment: Lessons from the Bedside

One of my very first patients was a four year-old boy named Stefan.

Stefan had a huge liver and a huge spleen but no one really knew why.

He suffered from an illness presumably caused by a mysterious virus. His

mother wrote me a letter describing the daily difficulties she had taking

care of him. She wrote “Stefan has his good days and his bad days

although sometimes the bad outweighs the good.” I wrote back to her

about the importance of relishing each moment, for a moment never lasts.

Relish the Moment

Relish the moment,

It has no lasting effect,

Appreciate life,

Life without a net.

Watch the people,

Working together,

Old dreams,

Of making things better.

In a world filled with hate,

Why even try?

Must we care?

Must we do more than get by?

Recession, politics, and all the rest,

Are at best misplaced priorities.

People should be number one,

Reach for the best.

Pay the price,

Save a life,

Look beyond pride,

Battle internal strife.

Relish the moment,

Reap its rewards,

Remember a moment never lasts,

Reach for more.

Read more from the book, Lessons From the Bedside, available now on Amazon.com in the Parkinson’s disease book section.