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Tuesday, February 3, 2015
A Tree’s New Year Resolution

Recently, we celebrated the start of a New Year – the time of year when people do soul-searching and make resolutions on what they want to do in the coming year. Tomorrow is the Jewish holiday of Tu B’Shevat – the holiday which is known as the beginning of a New Year for trees. Naturally, this could be a time for trees to engage in making New Year resolutions just as humans do.

Here is what I think a tree’s New Year checklist might look like. I divided the checklist into three areas of focus: Quality, Safety, and Service – three areas at the center of the health care improvement movement, three areas the Jewish Home excels in.

Quality:
ü  Did I ensure that my fruits were sweet and did not make those who partook in them sick?
ü  Did I drop my leaves and eliminate what was no longer necessary in my life?
ü  Did I grow towards the sun as a tree should, reaching up higher and higher towards that which I could never grasp, but which nurtured me all the same the more I stretched towards it?
ü  Did I grow in strength and wisdom as signified by the new ring that was added this year?
Safety:
ü  Did I bend in the wind, accepting what God sent without breaking or giving up hope?
ü  Did I make sure my roots remained firmly planted in the soil that nurtured me and connected me to my origins?
Sevice:
ü  Did I make sure my fruits were available to all that could enjoy them?
ü  Did I shelter the seedlings that lived in my shade – so that they would grow up to become the next generation?
ü  Did I provide a place for others to benefit from my presence?
ü  Did everyone walk away from me feeling better?


Come to think of it, this checklist might not be too bad for anyone working in healthcare.


Noah Marco
Chief Medical Officer
Los Angeles Jewish Home



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