by Dan | Apr 5, 2026 | Etc.
Doctor’s Day was Monay March 30. For the first time in decades…it passed quietly.
No schedule built around clinic. No patients. No spending time with my nurse or staff. Just another day. I have to admit, it felt a little strange.
Over the past month, I’ve been slowly stepping away from medicine after more than 3 decades. Not abruptly, but in pieces. I knew after retiring, things would change. I expected it. But it still seemed strange when it was all coming at once. A letter arrived this week stating I no longer have privileges at Prairie Lakes. I no longer get emails. My picture on the wall is down. Tuesday night Prairie Lakes had a celebration for Doctor’s Day. I went with Sarah as her +1. After years of being Doctor Dan, I have been promoted to “+1”. It was strange, but it was good! I still got to go, yet I had no other responsibilities in relation to medicine. None of these moments are dramatic on their own. But together, they carry a quiet message: That chapter is over. And even when it’s the right decision–and I believe it is–there’s still something in the process in that realization.
Medicine has a way of becoming more than a career: It becomes part of how you see yourself. Part of how others see you. Part of how your days are structured, how your mind works, how you carry your responsibility. For years, I woke up knowing there were people who needed me that day. Now, the only one who consistently needs me in the morning is the coffee pot…and even that feels optional some days. Doctor’s day gave me a chance to reflect on the privilege of caring for others. This week, it became something different. It became a moment to look back.
I thought about the thousands of patient encounters over the years. The conversations. The diagnoses. The uncertainty. The trust that patients placed in me–something I never took lightly. I thought about the colleagues I worked alongside, the teams we built, the systems we tried to improve. And I thought about how much medicine shaped me, not just as a physician, but as a person. But I also realized something else. Doctor’s Day isn’t really about recognition. It’s about remembrance. Remembrance of the privilege it is to be invited into someone’s life at a moment when they need help. That doesn’t go away when the title does. This past year, being on the other side of the stethoscope again–dealing with my own health issues, and Sarah’s, has reminded me of that in a deeper way. It’s one thing to care for patients. It’s another to sit in a waiting room, to wait for answers, to rely on others. That perspective changes you. It also gives you a new appreciation for the phrase, “This may take a few minutes”.
So yes–this Doctor’s Day was different. Quieter. More reflective. Maybe even a little emotional. But it also felt…complete. Not in a sense of being finished, but in a sense of being fulfilled. I may not practice medicine anymore. But I will always be grateful that I had the opportunity to do it. And I will always carry what it taught me. Sometimes, the most meaningful chapters of life don’t end with a big moment. They end quietly. And maybe that’s exactly how they’re meant to.
So, for now, I focus on the things in my life that are the most important. My family. My health. Learning new things and taking on different adventures, whether these adventures occur at home or away. My daughter Megan had a word for her life for this year: Patience. Next week I will talk about my word for the year. So, take care of yourselves. Strive to Survive. Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day of Newest streak: # 767
by Dan | Mar 29, 2026 | Etc.
Things are starting to get into a little more of a groove now. Sarah was able to start working, and has progressing well. We got her strength built up by helping to go walk Dakota.
There are lots of things to get done at home. I have been able to fix a lot of things with having some time off. Things are being organized. I love the warm days out as I can get things done outside. The cold days brings me back in the house. I just keep chipping away. Sarah keeps asking me what is my “agenda” for the day. There are usually a few things on it, and then the rest is what I have time for. I am still making time to work out. I have been in my garage with the “Reiflex Center” every day.
I have also been working on “Tai Chi”. (No pictures of this yet!) Now, if you would have asked me that years ago I would have laughed. It is now an event at the National Senior Games. I started checking it out. I definitely feel it. It helps with balance, flexibility, control, movement. I can definitely tell it on my abdomen! Some moves are relatively quick to learn, and others I have to break down and learn step by step. It is fun, and I am learning something new!
I still have time to go take pictures. This past week I had pictures yet with ice out on the lake, and now the ice is completely off!
I will just keep learning new things. I am spending time working on my book. It will be a lengthy process, but fun. But again, you just keep chipping away! I have been doing more cooking, and the grocery shopping. I have not burned anything…yet! Experiment with things. I see people I know at the grocery store every time! Well, we are not consistently back to warm days all of the time, but when they do come, they are great. I got the bikes ready to go, and we were going to go on Saturday, but the wind was absolutely ridiculous outside, so we held off. We went for a walk again, and managed to at least keep our heads on yet! Adventures await! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day of Newest Streak: # 760
by Dan | Mar 22, 2026 | Etc.
It has been incredibly busy this week. Many highlights. Sarah’s Birthday is St. Patrick’s Day, so I took her out to eat to celebrate, and then our daughter and son-in-law did again on Thursday! We need to have more birthdays!! Then the grandkids came for the weekend. Always a good time. We have been increasing the walking with Sarah but she still has a 15# weight lifting restriction, so she can’t pick up any of the grandkids. She got to hold them, and have them sit on her lap though. We celebrated Easter early with them and hid eggs, decorated eggs, blew bubbles, and did side walk chalk. Go! Go! Go!
Caleb continues to heal up from his cleft lip surgery! He is such a snuggler! But when it is time to eat, look out!!
We need Sunday now just to recuperate! It was a great week, taking it easy, healing, recovering, enjoying now these last few days of the weather–Wow!!! The grandkids can just go outside and we watch them when we get tired. The grandkids wait until night time, and then they crash and burn! Enjoy the weather. Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day of Newest Streak: # 753
by Dan | Mar 15, 2026 | Etc.
How many times have I said none of us are guaranteed tomorrow? Too many to count! This time though it was not about me, but Sarah. It has been a very stressful 6 weeks. Sarah started having pain and pressure in her pelvis, and long story short, after scans and evaluations, we found out she had a 12 cm mass on her uterus. She was going to have to have surgery for this, and it was too big to have done here, so we were set up to go to SF. We did not know if it was benign or malignant, but we were playing the odds. By far and away the majority of masses on the uterus are fibroids, and they are benign. We were told we would not know for sure until it was removed. She had surgery Wednesday March 4. The mass was now 15 cm in size, and it was not on her uterus, but it was on her left ovary! I am glad I did not know this ahead of time. The odds are much higher that a mass on the ovary is malignant more than it is benign. It was all able to be removed. It came back benign!!! I can’t tell you what a relief this has become. Same thing for her…we try to be active and improve our health, but we cannot control all things. She is recovering and doing well. We went for a 2 mile walk yesterday and she did great! We have built back up from starting at 1/2 mile, now up to 2 miles. She is making great progress!
We have a lot more things we want to do yet in this lifetime. When she retires, we plan of doing more traveling. We will do more hiking, and exploring, and traveling to other states so that we can keep building on the number of states that we have run in. The goal is to hit all 50 states! Time is precious, and short. Do not take anything for granted. I never have to buy a lottery ticket in the future…we just won the lottery with this news!
I want a lot more years together with my best friend. We have a lot of things to do yet…places to see…time to spend with the kids and grandkids…I have not really had a chance to figure out what retirement is really like yet with all of this going on. But one thing is for sure, we will be doing things together later! I thank God every day for this news! Don’t ever take anything for granted. Because, again, we are not guaranteed tomorrow! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day of Newest Streak: # 746
by Dan | Mar 8, 2026 | Etc.
Well, one week has gone by. It does not seem like retirement yet. There have been some other issues going on this last week that I will eventually talk about. But for now, I am working on trying to stay healthy myself. I always exercise each day, but I am concentrating a little more on the resistance side of exercise. I need to plan for the Senior Games come August in Huron! I have been spending more time out in the Reiflex Center. Also, now that I have recovered from my blood clot, I can do more things with my legs, including lifting, walking, and running. Now that I have more time, not only to fit it into my schedule easier, but also allow more time for recovery.
There is almost an unlimited number of different exercises to work on, and you feel different muscles being used all of the time. I can also now slow down some and not have to be in as big of a hurry to get through it as well. It really is fun, and it does not take long to see improvement.
I have also gotten to be much more flexible in the time I can go out for taking pictures of sunsets and sunrises. I don’t have to worry about still being in clinic and working or not. There have been some interesting ones already this week.
For right now, I am going to take it as it comes. I have a long list of projects to work on, and I have to figure out where and how I want to start first. It still feels like every day is a Saturday, so I need to get my calendar figured out. It will get there. I just need to relax and enjoy, and remember I don’t have to be in as big of a hurry for most things…at least for now! Maybe things going forward will change this. I see traveling into the future. Overall plan is still to run in every state in the U.S. I have 15 states left to hit! Strive to Survive…right? Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day of Newest Streak: # 739
