Should I have the walnut crusted rack of lamb or the salmon with lobster sauce? Decisions, decisions.
.
I enjoyed a spectacularly social evening on Saturday with a group of medical specialists. There was a hematologist, an ear/nose/throat specialist, a speech pathologist, an ER specialist, a perinatal specialist, a pediatrician (ist), two vocalists (sopranos), and me, the leisurologist.
.
It would appear that you were invited to this lovely soiree at Rothesay's Shadow Lawn Inn if you were a ______ist.
.
Of course this isn't true, but it was a happy coincidence. On the surface you might think that the leisurologist was invited to this party simply because he was married to the vocalist who just happened to have much in common with the wife of the ER doctor. The point could be argued, though this unnecessarily complicates my tale, so perhaps some background information is in order.
.
There's an ER doctor who's thinking of moving to Saint John and his wife is a singer/voice teacher. They currently reside in Nova Scotia. The ER doctor's wife is in the exact same business as my wife, so socially they were a perfect fit (plus she's tall like my wife). The ER doctor is a super nice guy and eminently qualified to run the ER department at the Saint John Regional Hospital. He's got an infectious smile (that's a good thing, especially in these trying days of H1N1) and is very comfortable socially. I can see that he'd be a great addition to the team at the Regional. I can see that his wife would make a great addition to the cultural/musical scene in Saint John.
.
The doctors were chatting about doctor things. The singers were talking about singer things. I was listening to the wind outside, wondering if the windsurfing would be good in the morning. Everyone was happy, then it hit me...I'm the most important person in the room!
.
Ian, you're in a room with people who save lives every day. How can you possibly have the gall to think that you're somehow more important?
.
Keep in mind that the underlying reason for this party was to make this ER doctor and his wife feel comfortable and welcome in Saint John, which they overwhelmingly were. We'd all love to have them leave Nova Scotia and become New Brunswickists. I became the most important person in my mind because, apart from being a leisure specialist, I am also a specialist in discussing the virtues of both Saint John and Nova Scotia with ER doctors.
.
I have another friend who is an ER doctor and she is emotionally pulled by the tides of the Bay of Fundy on a regular basis. She is also pushed by the swells of the Lawrencetown surf. She used to live in Saint John but now she lives and works in the greater Halifax Metropolitan Region, otherwise known as Dartmouth. She loves Saint John and its people, but she also loves her colleagues in Dartmouth and the life that she has found in Nova Scotia. We often have lengthy discussions about what makes a place a home.
.
Saint John has a lot to offer. It took me a long time to warm up to Saint John. As a child I didn't like it at all. As an adult, I love it. The uptown area is full of wonderful architecture and music spills out of the sumptuous Imperial Theatre on a regular basis (see November 28 for a truly special evening). The city has character, and characters. The City Market is like old home week for many...a place to be embraced, loved and fed.
.
Saint John's back side is anything but a back side, unless you're into back sides, in which case Rothesay can best be described as bootylicious. I hate myself for using this term, but Rothesay, the back side of Saint John, is truly a delight. It's leafy and quiet and as close to pretty as any town gets. I could live there, which says something.
.
Since I know Saint John's heart (cardiologist), soul (psychologist) and back side (proctologist) so well, I consider myself somewhat of an expert in the field but I discovered, on Sunday, that I'm no specialist. I'm more of a general practitioner. I knew nothing of East Saint John. I had never been there before. I took a drive to Mispec Beach and then to the end of the road, finding myself at Cape Spencer. The images that I've provided today are from Cape Spencer. It's just one more reason to live in Saint John.
.
So how do you advise your ER friend who's torn by the tides? Saint John or Dartmouth? What's your advice?
.
That's easy. Dartmouth! You don't have to be a brain surgeon to know that the surfing is better in Nova Scotia than New Brunswick (where it doesn't exist). For all that I may be, I'm still a leisurologist. Careers are important, but what makes people really interesting is what they do in their spare time.
.
Because the other ER doctor and his wife aren't surfers, I'd advise them to move to Saint John. I'll even pay the four dollar toll at the Cobequid Pass if that's what it takes to get them here.
.
Wow! Ian!! For you, that's a generous offer!
.
Yes, I know. Some decisions in life are easy, some are not. Advice is often easy, especially when you're giving it to someone else. At Shadow Lawn I couldn't decide between the lamb or the salmon, so I ordered the steak.
.
Isn't that like trying to choose between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, then opting for Prince Edward Island?
.
There are no bad choices at Shadow Lawn, or the Maritimes for that matter. We're lucky to live anywhere here. Think about the alternatives: North Korea, Iraq, Toronto. Work may dictate where we live, but it doesn't dictate how we live. That's what truly matters. You can sing in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick. You can heal people equally well in either province, so how do you decide what to do?
.
You go with your gut feel (gastroenterologist).
No comments:
Post a Comment