These side by side pics are 22 years apart. What prompted me to do this was because this week, I had random people make certain comments which led me to stop and think for a second. To gain some insight.

From things like…

“wow, did you just say you grew up playing Atari? i would have never guessed your age to be above 30.”
“i saw your pic then saw you have 3 children. how? is that a current pic?”
“are you old enough to be a physician?”
While this is flattering, it certainly is humbling.
I have to clarify that I did grow up playing Atari and loved the joystick and archaic 2-D graphics.
I make it a point to use current pics, because why fool anyone?
It’s not like people just look at a photo of you, they eventually see you in person at some point.
And yes, totally old enough and then some to be a physician, after being in school and training for years after college.
My point is, I practice what I preach.
I hear comments like, “oh, you got good genes, you’re lucky.”
Maybe I do, but genetics account for less than 20% of our destiny.
I emphasize the 4 pillars of lifestyle: proper diet, good sleep, exercise/yoga, and stress reduction/meditation.
Anyone and everyone can do these.
It’s a choice.
And my choice is to OPTIMALLY age.
Not anti-age.
We need to embrace aging gracefully.
That’s what I do.
I encourage my patients to do the same and to join me on that wellness journey.
I am their biggest fan and supporter. Never too early or too late to start. Carpe diem!
And to the Home Depot cashier who insisted I show my license to make sure I was old enough to buy that can of spray paint, because yes, there are laws prohibiting that, thank you for making sure I wasn’t at risk for huffing and inhaling it… and thank you for making me smile.