Joy in Family Medicine – Stories & Reflections
Lessons, lightbulb moments, and honest reflections from life inside and outside medicine - served with a side of perspective.
Tags: patience
Showing 10 results:
Endurance, Recovery, and Trust: What Medicine Can Learn from an Ironman
I logged 24,000 steps a couple of weeks ago, not competing, just spectating. Cheering at an Ironman turned out to be its own endurance event!
Somewhere between the cowbells and the cheers, I found myself thinking about what it really takes to sustain that kind of effort. Not just on race day and ...
by Dr. Tonya Caylor —
Nov 07, 2025
adaptability
adaptation
awareness
balance
discipline
effort
endurance
flow
focus
integration
microbreaks
momentum
patience
persistence
preparation
presence
process
recovery
recovery load
reflection
resilience
restraint
savoring
threshold
training
trust
Reflection: Between the Gates
On her recent Dare to Lead podcast, Brené Brown reads an excerpt from her new book, Solid Ground. In it she described ship locks, sometimes called water elevators in canals, and it’s an image that has stayed with me.
For those who haven’t seen them: when a ship moves from one body of water to ano...
by Dr. Tonya Caylor —
Oct 10, 2025
adaptation
adjustment
alignment
attention
awareness
balance
boundaries
calm
centering
compassion
connection
energy
equilibrium
flow
focus
grace
grounding
humanity
integration
intention
leadership
mindfulness
patience
pause
perspective
preparation
presence
recovery
reflection
regulation
renewal
reset
resilience
restoration
rhythm
self-awareness
space
stillness
sustainability
transition
Beyond Labels: Story and Reflection
It’s not infrequent that I’m in conversation with a faculty member who’s frustrated with one or two residents they see as lazy or disengaged. Those moments take me right back to how I sometimes felt a decade ago, when I was burned out in my core faculty role. I remember the intensity of that frus...
by Dr. Tonya Caylor —
Aug 22, 2025
barriers
burnout
connection
conversations
criticism
curiosity
data
defesiveness
drive
efficiency
energy
engagement
exhuastion
experience
feedback
frustration
gaps
growth
immersion
interviewing
labels
language
learning
minset
motivation
nuance
patience
perspective
procrastination
quality
rapport
reflection
remediation
repitition
resources
responsibility
safety
strengths
support
trust
understanding
Keep Digging (And Savor the Moments Along the Way)
Dinner was beautiful. A nice evening, bold flavors, shared stories of challenge & success, and laughter with friends who are in simlar trenches.
The meal came with this quote came tucked in tableware:
“Work. Keep digging your well. Water is there somewhere.”
It stayed with me—not just because it...
by Dr. Tonya Caylor —
Jun 12, 2025
community
connection
depth
digging
effort
endurance
flow
fulfillment
grit
grounding
hope
meaning
nourishment
patience
persistence
presence
process
resilience
savoring
season
stillness
support
uncertainty
waiting
work
Story and Reflection: Foundations First
You know my husband and I have taken on quite a few renovation projects over the years. Back in medical school and residency, we bought an old historic home in a neighborhood filled with beautifully restored houses. Of course, we could only afford the fixer-upper.
It was built on piers and had pl...
by Dr. Tonya Caylor —
Jun 12, 2025
baton passing
capacity building
collaboration
collective effort
enduring value
faith in action
foundation
generativity
groundwork
infrastructure
intentional design
investment
legacy
long view
mission aligned
patience
perseverance
purpose driven
ripple impact
rootedness
servant leadership
slow growth
stewardship
structural integrity
systems building
unseen labor
vision
All That Jazz Story and Reflection
I'm going to give away one of the truths that throws people off when I play two truths and a lie. I learned to tap dance and even performed on stage after I was a practicing physician. I know, I know - hard to picture. 😉
My daughter was taking violin lessons in a studio that had just started offe...
by Dr. Tonya Caylor —
Jun 12, 2025
all-or-nothing
awkwardness
challenge
control
creativity
discomfort
encouragement
expectations
feedback
fun
growth mindset
inspiration
learning
letting go
mastery
mindset
motivation
patience
perfectionism
performance
perseverance
personal growth
practice
reflection
reframe
resilience
role modeling
self-awareness
self-compassion
vulnerability
Twin Perspectives: Story and Reflection
One day a few of years ago, my husband and I started watching Medici - the historical Netflix series set in medieval Italy. The two main brothers looked so much alike during those first two episodes. I kept getting so confused.
After asking Mark for the 6th time which brother was speaking, he fin...
by Dr. Tonya Caylor —
Jun 11, 2025
acceptance
adjustment
attentiveness
awareness
balance
clarity
confusion
distortion
emotional regulation
focus
humility
insight
judgment
lens
mindfulness
mindset
narrative
overwhelm
patience
perception
perspective
presence
proportion
reframe
self-awareness
self-reflection
storytelling
strengths
values
zooming-out
Alaskan Pause: Story and Reflection
One fall, 17 years ago, as I was driving in my new state of Alaska, I was in a bit of a hurry (as was a natural state for me at the time). So you can imagine, I was a bit annoyed when the line of cars in front of me didn't move when the light turned green.
The middle lane was empty, so I decided ...
by Dr. Tonya Caylor —
Jun 11, 2025
adaptability
assumptions
attentiveness
awareness
behavioral patterns
connection
curiosity
decision-making
empathy
growth
humor
impulse control
interpretation
learning
mindfulness
mindset
misjudgment
patience
pausing
perspective
presence
psychological safety
reaction
reflection
restraint
safety
self-awareness
self-regulation
surprise
understanding
Worst Case, Story and Reflection
Early on, as a new physician coach, one of my first group sessions was in a Zoom breakout room with residents during their grand rounds. The main room topic, presented by another physician coach, a surgeon, was Unhealthy Perfectionism, briefly mentioning how our thoughts affect our emotions and a...
by Dr. Tonya Caylor —
Jun 09, 2025
assumptions
avoidance
awareness
coaching
curiosity
empathy
engagement
grace
insight
intent
interpretation
mindset
patience
perception
presence
projection
reflection
silence
uncertainty
vulnerability
What's Possible Reflection
My husband has an affinity for renovation. He's talked me into 3 major renovations over 3 decades. He's the visionary. I used to be overwhelmed walking into places and immediately discount them as hopeless. But, he would say, "It has good bones," and "I can see it in my mind."
I learned to believ...
by Dr. Tonya Caylor —
Jun 09, 2025
belief
brainstorm
brainstorming
collaborate
collaboration
creativity
flexibility
growth
innovation
mindset
obstacles
optimism
patience
persistence
perspective
possibility
renovation
resourceful
resourcefulness
solutions
strategy
support
vision
Joy in Family Medicine – Stories & Reflections
