Mana for the Doctor's Soul

"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink." -English idiom Sometimes cartoonists say the darndest things. Patrick McDonnell, creator of the comic strip "Mutts" above, really hits home for me . . . and maybe all of us at some level. But as a case in point, let's take doctors. We work with patients -- educating, helping, treating, prescribing, sometimes operating on, and doing all kinds of other procedures too.   Sometimes the patient accepts the prescription, suggestion, recommendation, or diagnostic test.  Many times -- at least 50% or more in some sources -- they don't.  We wonder, why would a patient spend time and money to see us, and then not follow through with suggestions they receive?  There are papers galore examining this question . . . but that's not the miracle in the comic above. The miracle is that the "horse" drinks at all -- even if it's Blue Solar Water .  And that in the cartoon, Mo

Do you remember learning to ride a bike?  Who taught you?  Did it come easy, or was it hard to get the hang of it? For me, it was tough.  My parents had given me a Huffy 2-wheel bicycle for Christmas, and I was so excited.  I could just imagine flying down the street, the wind in my hair -- it was the call of freedom for me.  But every time I tried, I kept falling down.  I just could not get the balance right;  I would try to pedal briefly, and then, boom!   The driveway would rise up to meet me. My father and mother both got exasperated with their clumsy child.  Looking back on it, I can't imagine how a parent would go about teaching teach such a skill, though.  It seems like one of those things you just have to get into your own body -- and once you have it, it stays. Still, I was afraid I would never have the kind of fun I saw other kids having, riding their bikes to school.  It was also a matter of pride, even though school was only a few blocks from my house.  :-) I wo