I'm truly amazed at people. Individually, they all have good intentions. Collectively, they want to cut each others' throats. I interact with a lot of people at the hospital. I love almost every one of them, but they can't seem to get along with each other. They all believe that the patient comes first, but they also believe that *their* way is the only *right* way.

I used to be that way myself; even quitting drinking didn't resolve that flaw. As a matter of fact, I didn't recognize it as a flaw. Only after my first coronary did I start to see my attitude as flawed; after my second coronary, I figgered out what to do about it. Because when I realized how very mortal I was, my sense of self-importance diminished to practically nothing.

I realize now that the most important thing I can do with my life is to *get along with people*! I used to be very shy and stand-offish, not very social, or even friendly. I think that my inflated ego had a lot to do with that. The realization that my inflated ego would go to the grave with me made me think a lot about my attitude in general. I think that at this point in my life, I could be considered a hedonist. My main goal is enjoying myself, and I do that in every way possible. That includes mostly getting along well with my friends and co-workers. If I give someone the opportunity to make me unhappy, they would not do it, because I have always been nice to them. The golden rule really works, at least when you're not too ambitious!

I enjoy every hour that I'm awake, whether at work or at home. Life is too short not to. And, in 100 years, what I do now is of absolutely no consequence whatsoever. That is rather humbling.

A few years ago, I read about a civilization that had grown up somewhere in the mid-east. The city was completely covered with sand, and had been for centuries. No records of who these people were or what they were like. I wondered to myself, "If I was alive then, and the most powerful man in that society, I would be crushed to know that even the slightest memory of me would be erased". All of the time that was spent accumulating power was wasted; the time spent enjoying life is not wasted.

I am still having a problem with wanting to drink; my mind thinks of all kinds of excuses, and I have to make a conscious effort to maintain control. Spending this weekend by myself is a test, and I'm doing OK so far. It'll take a couple of weeks before the Prozac really kicks in, then I can relax a little bit more about it. On the other hand, I don't think I'll ever relax about it; that was the problem!

Have a FUN day!