Physical Therapy Haven

Happy March everyone and I hope that you are having a great month thus far. I am writing you from a new feature called Efosa’s Corner. Now and again I will share anecdotes, experiences, or perspectives on local, national, or international topics related to rehab, health, and service. Thanks for sharing your time with me. The topic of this column is passion!

If you google the definition of passion, this is what it yields: ‘A strong and barely controllable emotion.’ Although that is a pretty intense definition, we should not be deterred by it. Passion is what drives us and truly helps us to understand what we do and why we do it. Over the past few weeks I have spent time talking with my peers about the things that they are most passionate about. During these conversations the interlocutors almost always begin by reaching back to the time they first fell in love with physical therapy and usually finish with what they enjoy most about it now.  Every one of these conversations has been inspiring. For those of you who are physical therapists or know physical therapists you can agree that there is a dynamicity to us(them) that is pretty special. Our interests can range from the arts, to physical competition; to travel and discovery; or to health policy just to name a few. A wide scope! The great thing about our profession is that it equips us with so many tools and it presents us with very many options to pursue our passions.

I usually share my own passions in these conversations. I love the idea of service; the discovery inherent in travelling; and the act of treating patients with my hands. I have been lucky enough this past year to encompass these various avenues that I am passionate about by embarking on mission trips around the world. My travels have taken me to Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala and back again. Next month I embark to the land of Peru with a service group called Hearts in Motion. On these trips as I utilize my skills to help others in any small way I can, I am blown away as I realize in real time that they are helping me in large ways. The people I work with allow me to grow and learn with and from them. They give me the honor and pleasure of joining them on their health journey, even if it is for just a few days at a time. Again, passion is defined as a ‘strong and barely controllable emotion’. If we are honest, it is tough to deal with at times. We don’t always know where to start when it comes to embracing, fulfilling, and channeling it. And that takes us to the most important question in this piece: What is your passion? What can’t you not do? Start there. I hope to nudge you to start identifying the things that you are most passionate about and then pursuing them. And I hope that down the road I get to meet you and ask you what your physical therapy love story is, and to ask you what are you most passionate about. If I should be so lucky, I can’t wait to hear your answer.

For Inches and Miles

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