Chinese New Year - OX (my year)

 It wasn’t a year for the faint-hearted.  The unimagined alignment of COVID pandemic, BLM protests and electoral turmoil stripped the façade off American exceptionalism to expose the underbelly of structural racism and the third who are one paycheck away from disaster.  From cabin solitary to virtual huglessness to stir crazy depression.  Yet an opportunity to tap into the ‘adaptation and resilience’ lessons (oral histories) by nonagenarian Mémée (pediatrician mentor) and octogenarian Margaret (avant garde ink painter) gained from through the interminable WWII bombings in Hague/London and Chongqing respectively.

 

Family

I visited Rachel, John, Jack and Naomi and new addition Memee twice, including this past December courtesy multiple negative tests. Rachel placed a lot of energy into rendering virtual schooling home friendly, family-wide recesses outdoor fun, and amazingly, Jack and Naomi resumed 4.5 days of in-class this fall masked behind Plexiglass – with no transmitted cases!  Football and soccer persisted, virtual piano lessons played, and great hikes taken. 

Mendham crew with Memee

I was not able visit in person as planned in November, but FaceTimed Ben, Theresa, Flora and newbie Juna’s – Flora readily calls me Yeye.  Theresa has fashioned their home into a mini Montessori classroom.  Ben in his final year of fellowship was invited to remain as a physician-scientist.  Flora thrives in Montessori project mode and Juna though not crazy about the bottle is an avid on solids.  

The Denver crew

Halloweenies

Newbie foodie

Naturally I traveled and ate out one-fifth of that previously.  Yet, I was so fortunate to have extended family nearby – Steve, Mary, Becca/Josh/Korben/Garrett, Kat/Steph (wedding on Leap Day) – inside my bubble and after May 21^st saw them weekly.  We travelled together to Door County and their upper Michigan camp together.  After quarantining, I spent two weeks with a friend in Brooklyn and walked the Brooklyn Bridge … Coney Island, visited many

stunningly empty (appointment only) NYC museums and galleries, and ate in outdoors-only  heated curbside shelters.  

My highlight was the video birthday card for which Rachel gathered many of you.  Thank you! 

 

Keeping busy

It has been a healthy interlude for me despite the disruption, in part because of complete control over diet and absence of travel.  Instead of intermittent fasting begun in December 2015, in March I converted to 2 meals a day plan and trimmed 5 pounds.  As gyms closed, I began hiking in nearby Pheasant Branch conservancy – saw osprey, eagles, owls, wild turkey pheasants.  Sifu (master) Tam began telestrating Chen Tai Chi by Facebook and Zoom, resumed Zen (scoreless) tennis with Steve and took lessons, and rode the hilly county roads with Steve and new friend Jeff, a total 1656 miles, my most ever.  

I continued to do ‘fun’ academics of editing, mentoring, teaching, guidelines and organizing a 6-hour Telehealth Webinar with 23 energetic young faculty from NYC to SF.  

I read fewer pages but more than overcompensated by binge watching 400% (whoa) more non-sports movies/series episodes than ever – see below) and unexpectedly enjoyed internecine dynastic struggles among Crown Princes.  I became unaddicted to WordJam after completing all 6070 games to the very last word. Finally, it was a belated revelation to be able to connect the dots of structural racisim between housing segregation (in polluted environs), access to only unhealthy foods and lack of fresh foods, vast income/wealth disparity, eduational disadvantage, differential police enforcement/profiling/mass incarceration and finally as we so vividly saw resulting disparities in health and COVID mortality. We have to do better!   

Zoom provided the needed segue to the outside world of social activity, celebrations, planning meetings, courses, conferences, Theater, and my favorite ‘Old Farts’ group AKA ‘Grumpy old gastroenterologists’.

 

It was daily déjà vu, life interrupted, a year to remember (including those needlessly lost) and not to forget … 

 

Get your vaccine and see you when.

 

Addendum – some entertaining and thought-provoking mind candy:

Topical:  Second mountain David Brooks, The system Robert Reich

Health:  Lifespan (body) David Sinclair, Successful Aging (mind) Daniel Levitin, Breath James Nestor

Biographies:  Obama: a promised land, Van Gogh, Splendid and Vile Erik Larson

Biopics:  Be water: Bruce Lee, Michael Jordan, Tiger

Movies:  Bong Joon-ho: Parasite (Academy Award), Snowpiercer, Okja, Mother

Dynastic intrigue:  Rookie Historian (Korean heroine) – 20 episodes, Princess Wei Young (Chinese heroine) – 54, Rising Phoenix (Chinese) – 70, Longest Day in Chang ‘An (Tang dynasty) – 48 episodes

Mysteries:  Bosch (AP), Endeavour (PBS)

Asian American:  Minor Feelings Cathy Hong Park, Interior Chinatown Charles Yu, 

First Vote (movie):  niece Jennifer Ho as one of four main interviewees