This Easter Sunday, I was on my way to the hospital for a call shift. I don’t personally celebrate Easter, but many of my colleagues do. And I know from experience just how hard it is to be at work on a holiday—especially when the rest of the world seems to be taking the day off.
Over the years, I’ve missed countless family events. I’ve shown up to work while my entire family stayed home, and I’ve felt that sting of disconnection and loneliness—even on holidays that aren’t mine.
If you’re in medicine, you’ve probably been there too.
You know that feeling. When it seems like everyone else gets a break, but you’re still “on.” When the whole world is resting, and you’re heading into a 12 or 24- hour shift, trying not to think about what you’re missing at home.
But here’s what I try to remind myself—something I didn’t fully grasp earlier in my career:
I’m not alone.
There are so many of us doing this work—serving, healing, showing up—on weekends, on holidays, in the middle of family dinners, during our kids’ recitals. And the truth is, we’re needed. Deeply.
The patients I’m going to meet today? They need me.
Not just my medical knowledge. Maybe they need my empathy, or something I say that brings them peace. Maybe it’s the way I advocate for them, or the presence I offer when they’re scared. Whatever it is—it has to be me.
There’s also a reason I need to meet them. There is something I need to learn or experience that only they can provide.
And the same is true for you.
There is a reason it’s you walking through those hospital doors today. A reason it’s you answering that page, adjusting that plan of care, comforting that patient’s family. You might not always see it in the moment, but I promise—it matters.
And there’s a reason you need to meet them.
So next time you’re suiting up on a holiday or heading in on a weekend, remember this:
You are not alone.
And there is a bigger reason why it has to be you.
If you’re feeling the weight of this season of medicine and life, I’d love to help.
I offer free consultations over Zoom for women in medicine who want more time, less stress, and more joy in their daily lives. Let’s talk about what’s feeling heavy—and what’s possible on the other side of that weight.
Click here to schedule your free consultation.
You don’t have to do this alone. And it doesn’t have to be this hard.
