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!
Happy National Twins Day/Weekend to my twin brother Don, and to my twin daughters Molly and Megan. My brother and I went to Kindergarten in Watertown, going to Roosevelt School, back in 1970. We then moved to SF the following year and grew up there. I was attracted back to Watertown after all those years ago, coming back in 1994 to begin practicing medicine at Brown Clinic. Lots of memories over those years of things we did growing up.
When you are an identical twin, you tend to stand out in a crowd. The thing I loved the most was that there was always somebody to do something with. You never had to be alone. Sometimes that is both good and bad, but mostly good! Don lives in Parker, SD, where he is a Lutheran minister, having previously taught elementary/special education for many years. We will still have people see him in Watertown, or me in Parker, and think they are seeing the other one! Some things never change!
There are still many similarities, especially if one of us wears glasses versus contacts! But one thing is still for sure…there will always be a bond with my twin brother like no other. We are like 120 miles away, and sometimes this seems like a different country. We both are busy with family and our lives, that we don’t spend nearly as much time together as we used too.
This is the most recent picture of the two of us. Back in May we were in SF for the Breast Cancer run/walk. He ran this one, I walked. Still always great to do things together…we just need to make more time for it in the future! Then I was lucky enough to be a Dad of twins as well. My girls though are not identical. They too were always an attraction wherever we went with them, right from the beginning!
They were a handful right out of the blocks! They were our first kids, and we did not know what having one was like, so it might as well have been two! It was never a dull moment. Watching them grow up I saw so many similarities with how things were with my brother. Once again, you always have a friend, somebody to do something with, yet with them not being identical, they had a little more freedom of trying to be their own individual. Again, both good and bad. They also still had somebody to get into trouble with as well!
Some of those days are still kind of a blur with how busy everything was. I would not trade it for anything!
The smiles still keep coming. I have their picture when they were babies hanging in my office: Why was I chosen to be a Father of twins! It refers to having two to take care of, two to get in trouble, two to get out of the mud, etc. But the bottom line was that at the end of the day, there were two to love! That is why I was chosen to be a Father of twins!
They have grown up fast. Really fast! In two short weeks Molly will be getting married, and Megan will be her Maid of Honor! Always together…always there for each other! That is what does not change about being a twin! Don and the rest of my family will also be in Watertown for this as well! Twins are unique, and I can definitely say twins are special…I may be a little biased here, but that is ok! We are all still active, and remember to exercise. My brother and I have run together, gone to do a marathon together, and the girls ran their first half marathon last year. They will all be here in the next 10 days, and we will be running the Hump Day 5K on August 14…as a family! I can’t wait!!!! Keep moving everybody!
It does not take long for the week to just get crazy. Some days seem endless, with a multitude of things to have to get done. It just never seems like there is enough time in the day. But, we all get 24 hours. Planning, and prioritizing, need to come into play. Saturday was a great example of how things can be when the weather cooperates. It was just a nice day to sit out in the shade, and relax. Relax, and let your mind wander. Let your body wind down and forget about all of the other commitments in life, and just take it easy. This week was actually very good for that as well.
One of the days that I took Zeus for a walk early in the morning, it was actually a little cool compared to the weather here lately. The fog was really thick over the lake and the golf course, and it was quiet. It just was a good time to relax and think…and Soothing…
My usual morning route is going by the lake. When the winds are calm, it is one of my favorite places to be. The birds are chirping. It is a great time to unwind, relax, and plan for the day. I would not trade it for anything!
Remember this! It is easy to get caught up in all of the pressures of life, but you have to keep yourself in mind as well. Take a deep breath, and just relax! It is amazing how much easier it is for things to fall into place when you remember this.
One of the other mornings this week it had been raining earlier, and a perfect rainbow came out over the lake. When you get scenery like this, you forget you are even out exercising. There is no comparison when it comes to where I would rather exercise at: outside, and along the lake, versus indoors on a treadmill. Indoors really does feel like work!
How true is this? The weekends just fly by, and the week drags on. So, make the most of your work day week, or week in general, and get out and move and enjoy the scenery. Let your mind wander, and think. You never know wheat ideas will develop, or how your plans can change…for the good!
So take a deep breath, start getting ready each day, and just go. Go exercise, but go and relax too. Here Zeus is helping Sarah stretch before we went running on Saturday. Even he knows he needs to learn to relax, and if you do, you will learn to enjoy life more! Take in what life all has to offer. All the adventures, new things to see, new things to experience. No two days are the same. Take advantage of them all!
You know there are going to be things that come up that are stressful, and just down right crazy. Accept it! Plan on it! Develop a plan for how you are going to deal with it, and if things are anticipated, then you know how to deal with it, and it won’t be such a big deal! Get in the exercise routine, and learn to go with the flow. Enjoy life, and appreciate all it has to offer. None of us know everything, so there is always something to learn. There is always something else to experience as well. Strive to Survive! Take a deep breath, and Just Relax, and enjoy the ride! Keep moving everybody!
