Today is a day I will not soon forget. I will keep this post short and sweet. For the next month I will be taking some shifts at New York Presbyterian at the front lines of the pandemic that now finds its epicenter in New York City.
To say I am not at least a little afraid would be a lie. Fear is a way for us to hone in our energy and focus on the task at hand. In this moment that task is caring for our sick. Statistics do not represent the lives of those impacted. The news does not share the reality of waking up and getting dressed to go into the fire. All we have ever had as human beings is our story. We can share those tales from a place of sincerity, or live the pseudo-lives represented in social media and entertainment. Remember that all of this technology is a mere representation of real life.
I encourage everyone to connect to those they love. Listen to their stories. You have two ears and one mouth for a reason – listen twice as much as you speak. TURN OFF THE NEWS!!! Real information is not found there. Read trusted resources as outlined in my previous posts.
Listen to one another, everyone is telling you exactly what they need right now.
That is your role right now. Do what you can from the place you are. My mother always told me that there are lawyers, sanitation workers, doctors, and shoemakers for a reason. That reason is that we all have a role to play on the stage of life. No one is more important than another because of the title they carry. What makes a person great is the willingness to serve another. That is what we are all being called to right now. Serve one another.
…and do not forget to take care of yourself. Put the oxygen mask on yourself to be the best you can be for each other…
Thomas S. Bottiglieri, D.O. 
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