I can be hard-headed at times. And my husband knows it! He’s known me since I was 13, and knows me better than anyone else in my life. He always encourages me to be bigger and better than I am. He pushes me to be the absolute best I can be. But, I don’t always respond well to his nudging. I admit sometimes I don’t do such a great job of listening to my husband.
He and I have talked before about what the future of my career might look like. I know I love being a Pediatrician and taking care of children from birth on up. My favorite stage to care for and to advise mother’s on is the newborn stage – which is probably one of the toughest! I’m also a huge proponent of breastfeeding and working/pumping moms. We’ve thrown around ideas of me pursuing a career in Lactation consulting, or solely newborn care. We’ve talked about opening my own independent Pediatric practice, where I can still see a wide range of ages, take care of babies from infancy through the teenage years, and focus the care however I see fit. He’s supported and talked me through all my crazy ideas.
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What just happened…
Last week, we were in Atlanta for my 10-year medical school reunion. While there, I had a great reminder of why I should listen to my husband. He asked me why I chose to go all the way to Atlanta for Med school. Why didn’t I choose a school in Florida? He and I had lost contact during that time of my life. He really couldn’t understand why I made that choice. I explained to him that Morehouse’s mission was to serve the under-served. To provide care to people who normally wouldn’t be able to receive it. I really believed in that mission.
While talking it out, he helped me realize I wasn’t really doing that in my day-to-day position right now. My husband really knows how to keep it real. And I love him for it. Now, I absolutely love my patients, my practice, and my schedule. But, I’m not really doing what I set out to do when I graduated from Medical School . To serve the under-served.
During the Alumni Dinner at the reunion, each alum stood up to introduce themselves. While listening to everyone’s introductions, my husband was enthralled by one of the older alumni. She had a certain confidence about her when she stood up and spoke. It turns out she was a pediatrician, who owned her own practice in an under-served area. She also contributed regularly to the institution, seeming like she did very well for herself.
Here we go…
My husband whispered to me during the dinner, “you need to talk to her”. He absolutely knows that I’m way too shy to walk up to someone I don’t know and start talking to them, much less to ask them for help or information when I’ve just met them! I flat out told him “no”, I wasn’t going to talk to her that night. I would try to find an email address for her, and just email her for her input. He asked me, “where are you going to find her email address?” I had absolutely no idea – but the response sounded good at the time. The dinner went on. I made up my mind that I wouldn’t talk to her. That really annoyed my husband.
Then something really weird happened. When the dinner was over, the same lady my husband wanted me to talk to, ended up rushing over to talk to ME. It was almost like my husband had somehow bribed her to do it! She said she just wanted to talk to her “fellow Pediatrician”. We talked for some time, and she absolutely pushed and encouraged me to start my own practice, however it may look. She was happy to share a lot of information with me about her journey. We exchanged contact info, and I’m looking forward to talking to her again! I don’t know where this chance encounter will take me. I’m hoping it will lead me in a career direction that is more fulfilling – helping me to truly live out my purpose.
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I told you so…
When it was all over, my husband couldn’t help but to smile and to say “I told you so” over and over again. It’s amazing how fate can work. It had to be nothing but divine intervention and the gentle nudging and support of my husband that made this all happen! I’ve learned that in most cases, my husband is right. He has my best interest at heart and sometimes I just need to shut up and do what he says!
If I thought of our household like a business, my husband would be the CEO (chief executive officer) and I would be the COO (chief operating officer). As CEO, he’s ultimately responsible for making the managerial decisions, deciding “what” should be done. As COO, I’m responsible for managing day-to-day operations – deciding “how” his “what” should be done. Yep, even with my “big time” medical degree, my husband is still the CEO of our house! We’ve got different roles, and those roles help me to remember how very important it is to listen to him. He’s responsible, dependable, and the leader of our home. He makes it clear what his ideas are for our household and for our lives, and I manage to make that happen on a day-to-day basis. He makes it so easy to follow his lead. Here are some practical ways you can enhance your marriage and your many relationships.
How about you?
If you have a man in your life who has your best interest at heart and always seems to be right, I encourage you to put your pride aside and listen to him! It should really pay off in the long run – it has for me!
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