We never know what life has in store for us. We go along each day like there will be no problems that arise, and that everything is going good…until it isn’t. We get thrown for a twist or turn that we were not expecting, and our life changes. Megan came home this weekend…for good. Sarah flew out to Virginia and they drove back together. Things may not always seem as they are. But, it does not mean that change can’t be for the better. Life is unpredictable, and we have to learn to go with the flow.
Now, of course, I am thrilled. She is back home to take time to figure out life, and where it may lead her. In the meantime, I have another running partner. We went with the run club this AM, and Megan and I covered 4 miles total running for me, plus another mile walking. This is the furthest I have run since my episode in March. Making progress! We had some time to talk. That is what is great about a running partner. You get to talk and help each other solve problems! We just need to help her realize that things can improve…it just depends on the day.
Some times our view of things can be a little hazy, and unclear. We may not know where life is going to lead us. That is what makes it unpredictable. But, that is also what makes is adventurous too. One thing is for sure, it is much easier to get through those “hazy” times when you have friends and family to lean on.
Our running family will always be there to remind you of how tough you are, and what you are made of!
Even Zeus is there to lend support whenever you need it. Here he is helping Sarah stretch before we went running this AM!
Zeus is always there Megan for you to lean on, and love as well. He is definitely happy you are home!
And, over time, that same view that before was hazy, and unknown, will then become clear, and you will know where you are headed, and know that change and challenge is what makes life not only unpredictable, but exciting as well! The view in the future will be brighter, and better!
You will know, for all of us, who in our lives matter, and who always will! Be ready for those changes. Be aware that some days will not be so clear. Life is a roller coaster with many ups and downs…with more ups than downs! Keep living! Keep focusing! Keep moving…everybody!
One thing is for sure, there are always challenges in life. Challenges that we did not even know may have been a issue a week ago, but they are now. You never know what life if going to bring. But one thing is for sure, it is always better with somebody…somebody who was meant to be with you. The challenges always seem smaller when I have Sarah around. We have been married since 1990. It took some figuring out over time, but we both came to the eventual conclusion this was “meant to be”. We all have those days when we truly wonder how much more can we take from this day.
Some days it really makes you wonder! But it is important to remember that over the long term challenges can help define you.
Not only how far you can go on your own, but for me, it is also how far I can go through life with Sarah!
We spend time together, run together, worry about each, support each other…bottom line, we were meant to be together. There are those moments when I may not always listen and do what I am supposed to do. Of course, Sarah is there to help remind me as well!
Do it, or suffer the consequences! Ha Ha! Just kidding! But challenges definitely make life interesting.
Exactly! Once we then figure this out, we can deals with those challenges, and grow from it as well. Many times then you will find that these challenges make you stronger, and even better than you were before by being able to conquer it. It definitely goes that way for running for me too. You are always facing new challenges/goals, and you keeping pushing the bar. Then you accomplish that challenge/goal, and are ready to move onto the next! Never quit trying. That is how you find out what you are made of!
You look around and think that what you see is as far as you can go. Then you take a little bit broader look at the situation, and see a way that you can go past what you thought you couldn’t before.
Open up your “view” of things, and like in this image, the dock is there and you can go “out further than you could before”! Same principle when it comes to every day life. Open up your view to take it all in!
Are you prepared to change? Are you willing to take control of your own health? Are you willing to put in the time and effort by exercising and eating better? You decide. You are in charge. How far do you want to go? Are you going to sit around and feel sorry for yourself, and or are you going to do something about it? You decide…but as a famous line in a one of the Indiana Jones movies goes: “Choose wisely!” Keep moving everybody!
It was that time again. 10 years has gone by. I had to recertify with my Boards for my Sports Medicine Qualifications. I passed once again! What a relief. The intensity of it never changes. Even though they are certain things I may do more with, and other things I don’t do anything with, I have to know it all for the Boards. By the time I have to do this again, I will be 65, and retiring! I have always had an interest in Sports Medicine. I have had this certification now for 25 years. I am proud of this fact, as there are a limited number of primary care doctors who have this added qualification. I am the only one in Watertown with this as well. I helped create our current Sports Medicine group, Sports Medicine Plus, with several other doctors here in Watertown to cover the High School sports here. My interest came just with the fact that I have been involved with sports, and in particular, running, long before medical school.
My son Nick sent me this picture this week that he found of me in an Augustana yearbook of me running the steeple chase. That truly is when my interest in Sports Medicine starting taking off.
We ran enough 5k’s during residency as well. Here we are for a Halloween race wearing our “doctor” shirts!
I am still running yet! This one was taking a week ago running a 5k, with my daughter Megan, and several good friends, and members of our run club, Jill and Steve.
The intensity of getting ready for Boards is no simple task. You are always learning, reading every day. But the extra added material to know, for the Boards, is staggering. This one is my material getting ready for the very first Boards after completion of our second year of medical school. This was just the review material! It is easier to review and learn when it is a topic that you have an interest in, but the most challenging part of it all is the volume of material. There is no way you will know it all. You are never done learning!
This is my work table of the review material for this most recent Sports Medicine Boards down in my office at home. Again, it is the volume of material that is tough. Like I said, you are doing and learning every day, but the preparation of taking the exam for me began 1 1/2 years ago trying to get down many, many specifics again. The details…details that I do not use every day.
I love Sports Medicine! I am always encouraging patients to be eating healthier, and promoting exercise. I do not want anybody getting injuries doing activities, but they happen. That is when I am there to step in. It is always a challenge when somebody comes in and their injury, or pain, limits them from what they want to do. Besides the physical aspect, there is the mental aspect. This is particularly true when somebody has set a goal for themselves of achieving, such as a half marathon, or a marathon, and now they are hurt. They, we…me…don’t have time to be hurt, or laid up by injury. Patients come in upset, even sobbing, that they cannot achieve their goals, or they have to adjust, or forgo some things. You work the best you can with them, but we cannot perform miracles. Sometimes those goals may have to be postponed, or delayed. Convincing someone of that is tough. They have a race this weekend, and want it fixed by then. Sometimes you can tell somebody something, and they don’t want to hear it, and go get another opinion, only to hear the same thing, but now time has gone by and they have had time to adjust to it, and can deal with it better. I have had patients come to me for a second opinion, and patients who have gone to somebody else for a second opinion. There is still no substitute for time. I am no different. I want it solved yesterday too! I try to convince patients, and myself now, that that is why we are called patients…because we also need to have “patience”!
I will always be involved in sports, and sports medicine. It is who I am. So much can be learned by being active, and achieving goals. We feel like we can then take on anything, or conquer any challenges that we get in life. Sometimes it may not always be the answer we want to hear. Many times those goals can still be achieved, but they will be delayed. Be patient! We need to learn to be flexible, and go with what life deals us. That is why this is called Strive to Survive! There are always things that change, and we have to learn to adapt and go with it. In the end, it makes us stronger! Dealing with adversity makes us appreciate the good times even more. Everybody, including me, can’t always fix health issues that come up right away. But we can help you deal with it, and adjust to it. We are all athletes! We may be all at different levels, and intensities. But we are all athletes! Keep moving everybody!
My daughter Molly got married this weekend! What a great day! It was a first for me in many things: First child to be married, so then first time walking a child down the aisle, and first Father/Daughter dance. My head is still spinning. With everything that has gone on with my health since the end of March, I am just glad I got to be here to be able to walk Molly down the aisle…one of my bucket list items. It was even better that I imagined it would be. The emotions were coming out then, and the tears as well. I was so excited and happy to walk her down, and give her away to the man she was meant to be with. I wore the tie clip Molly gave me the day before her wedding. The outside part said “Father of the Bride”, and the back side said, “I loved you first”. That set the tone!
Sarah and I were smiles all day long. The day had finally come.
The girls did not get much sleep the night before. Megan helped to try and keep Molly calm, but again, the emotions and anticipation were running high. Megan was her Maid of Honor, and Megan gave a great heartfelt speech at the reception as well.
My mom made it up from SF, and Sarah’s parents came from Huron. We were all smiles, and we had a perfect day for weather for pictures!
And then, the moment came! All of these past years where I wrote about staying healthy, and exercising, and that as long as I had control, I was going to be around for my family. All of that changed in March. I had no control over my health at that moment. I was worried I was not going to be here. I was so thrilled to be able to be here, to walk my Molly down the aisle, and just be here for her, and be here for my family, and to be here for me! There was no holding back the tears anymore. They were not tears of sadness, but tears of total happiness. That is what life is about. Making those forever memories, and spending time with your family and friends.
This is a good portion of my total family. Not everybody was able to make it. Missing some nieces and nephews, and their families. And of course, my Dad was missing. He has been gone now for a little over 5 years, but I believe he was watching us that day, and had a smile on his face, proud of what he helped create! Make time for your family. Be there for your family. We never know how long each of us are going to be on this earth. Don’t waste it. And like I have always said, control the things you can control, and be healthy, watch what we eat, and keep exercising. Other factors we cannot control. Somebody will miss you when you are gone! Keep moving everybody!
It just seems like yesterday that we would load up the kids and go and travel somewhere for a race. Here I am with Molly at Grandmas marathon one year. They were always there as a cheerleader for me in those early days. Now, as the week goes on, Molly will be getting married this coming Saturday. Married? Already? They were just this little, weren’t they? I have been doing a lot of looking at pictures these last few weeks, getting things ready for slide shows. A lot of fond memories, good times, and I have to admit, some tears coming too. Can she be this old already?
Some things never change though…always on the phone! I loved their response the one time when Sarah and I were on call for the weekend, and the girls were about 2 1/2. The phone rang, and both of them stopped right in their tracks from what they were doing. One said: “Uh oh!”, and the other one followed that and said: “Shit!” I don’t remember who said what, but I had a talk with Sarah after that discussing with her that she would need to start watching her language when the phone rang! Hee Hee!
They were enough of those times when they got sick too! At least with both of us being a doctor, we could take care of them. That did not stop Molly the one time though. She wanted to call her doctor, Dr. Peskek. I told her I did not know the number. She said, “No problem…it is on speed dial!” Here we are demonstrating the benefit of ice and alcohol for teething. Some of the older docs at one time stated that is what they would suggest to use for teething. My first thought was, am I supposed to rub this on their gums to help relieve the pain? No! It had nothing to do with the kids. I was supposed to have a glass of ice, and pour alcohol in it, and drink it! It may not have helped with their teething, but I sure felt better!
But then, just like that, they are no longer toddlers. They got big, fast! We were so busy with them during those school years, everything still seems like a blur! The Disney trips were always great. I don’t know who had more fun, them, or me! But, I will say, watching them have fun definitely made me feel great!
Then poof! She was in High School! She took after us with the running, and was in Cross Country and Track! If was great watching her at meets during those years. If is more fun now being able to run some of these races now with the kids. We have done 5k’s, and half marathons. They will all be home this coming week and we will be doing the Hump Day 5K as a family!
And then, just like that, she was engaged to Tanner! She is very lucky, and we are very lucky, to be having him become a part of our family. And now, in less than a week, it will become official! I have told Tanner before that if he was wanting to become a part of this family, then he would need to pick up running!
And he has! Here Molly and Tanner are running in the Hospital Hill 5k we just had in June. This is just one of many they have run. We have run quite a few with Megan and Nate as well. Like I told them both, they need to run if they are going to become part of the Reiffenberger family!
This was from last year. In the blink of an eye, they have all grown up! This coming week we will all be together, spending time with each other, and taking more pictures as a family. You cannot slow down time, and if it were to stop for somebody, then they are no longer here. With everything I had going on this Spring, I am just so thankful that I am going to get to walk my Molly down the aisle this week! I am not sure I am going to be able to hold it together. Every time I start thinking about it, I get choked up again! Love your kids, and appreciate all the time you do have with them. Do things together, be active together, explore together. One day, “Poof”, they will be old enough to be out of the house! No matter what, I am still “Dad”, and nothing will ever change that! Keep moving everybody!
