I recently attended a regenerative medicine conference to learn more about the science and current applications for healing pain in the spine and joints. PRP, stem cell therapy, exosomes — it’s new & exciting, requiring continued research, but promising!
I love seeing the different generations teaching one another at conferences. It is so wonderful to see some of my older mentors continuing to learn, not be afraid of being a beginner. I’ve even witnessed some of the wiser ones go from novice to teacher in a matter of years!
The first time I felt too old to do something, I was 26. I watched a fire dancer and thought, “I am too old to learn this.” I then became a fire performer with some of my favorite people: Rachel Thomas, Wendy Golden, Sarah Jean, Carlos Bohike Taíno, Jezza C Sanders, David Sundy, Bosso Niña, Tracy Windisch, Treasure De La Cruz, Austin Cable, Gustavo Alcantar — too many to list. This was the first memorable adult moment of realizing that we all start as beginners, at everything we do.
When I was 27, I had a rather early mid-life crisis. I was doing IT work at high-tech companies and not loving it. I turned to a friend, Dan Mapes, and asked about the heart in relation to the mind and he said, “Let your heart decide what to do, and your brain will figure out to do it.” I started an integrative medicine company shortly after that. I learned an important lesson – when you follow your heart and you are doing a good thing, the universe truly provides.
The next time I wondered if I was too old was in my 30’s. When I proclaimed to my friend, Lynne Sandler, “If I apply to medical school now, I’m going to be THIRTY SEVEN by the time I am doctor!” Her response was priceless, “You will be 37 anyway.” (Major person to thank in my life for enabling me to become a physician: Sasha Robinson. Lesson: always be grateful for your angels.)
As I approached 37, I realized I forgot to pre-calculate on the additional years for residency training. Sometimes, ignorance can be bliss.
