The Science Fair

Many of us with children in school know that this is the time of year for the dreaded “Science Fair.”  Kids who can’t spell “science,” let alone know the difference between an “hypothesis” and a “hippopotamus” are busily building projects and contemplating the universe.  But I found that if I took alittle time working with my mini-scientist, I found some universal truths, as well.

Ten years ago our youngest, Harrison, got very excited about his science project on “buoyancy.”  I’m not quite sure how he picked “buoyancy” as a topic, but he became the family expert on why stuff floats.  He read books on the subject, searched the internet, talked to his siblings, and then seemingly tested every single object in our home to see if it sank.  His enthusiasm and curiosity were contagious and soon all of us were walking around the house, picking up objects and putting them in the kitchen sink to see if they floated.  Car keys?  Sink!  Plastic cup?  Floats!  Cat?  (just kidding…)

I wonder how many of us can get that excited about our “projects” here at work.  The medical field is full of interesting and exciting discoveries, yet it is often all too easy to look at what we do as a “job” rather than an “adventure.”  Albert Einstein once wrote:   “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.”

Stay curious about what you do everyday at your hospital, how you do it and the effect you have on others.  What are those techniques or behaviors or experiences that make for “a good day at work”?  What were you doing when you felt you really connected with a patient?  What makes you happy?  What stresses you out?  Stay curious…life is one big experiment.