- With Mayo Clinic oncologist
Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
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Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
Edward Creagan, M.D.
"The magic of the electronic village is transforming health information. The mouse and keyboard have extended the stethoscope to the 500 million people now online." — Dr. Edward Creagan
The power of the medium inspires Dr. Edward Creagan as he searches for ways to share Mayo Clinic's vast resources with the general public.
Dr. Creagan, a Newark, N.J., native, is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hospice medicine and palliative care. He has been with Mayo Clinic since 1973 and in 1999 was president of the staff of Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Creagan, a professor of medical oncology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, was honored in 1995 with the John and Roma Rouse Professor of Humanism in Medicine Award and in 1992 with the Distinguished Mayo Clinician Award, Mayo's highest recognition. He has been recognized with the American Cancer Society Professorship of Clinical Oncology.
He describes his areas of special interest as "wellness as a bio-psycho-social-spiritual-financial model" and fitness, mind-body connection, aging and burnout.
Dr. Creagan has been an associate medical editor with Mayo Clinic's health information websites and has edited publications and CD-ROMs and reviewed articles.
"We the team of (the website) provide reliable, easy-to-understand health and wellness information so that each of us can have productive, meaningful lives," he says.
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Stress blog
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July 11, 2012
Life is what happens when plan A becomes 'Plan B'
By Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
I recently had the opportunity to visit family in upstate New York. It was a time of sharing and a time of bonding, but also a time of a profound insight. Let me share.
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I once read that life is all about plan B. As our lives unfold, we have a specific vision of our journey. But most of us wind up going down a unique path. Family members shared with me that cities in upstate New York once had acres of factories and parking lots for workers stretching to the horizon.
Companies manufactured motors, turbines, ceramics, rugs, clothing and shoes. In some towns, the entire population worked in factories, foundries or mills. It was unthinkable that life would ever be different. But a tsunami of change swept away the American Dream.
Because of technology, political factors and economic imperatives, the factories closed and moved to other states or countries. The factories are shuttered now. The parking lots are empty. All that remains are memories, some of which are not very positive.
In a real sense, life for the residents of these cities became plan B, and this provides an important lesson for all of us. None of us knows what tomorrow may bring. We need to be proactive. We need to have some sense of the changes at work in our communities or we too may be left behind.
Follow me on Twitter at @EdwardCreagan. Join the discussion at #Stress.
4 comments posted
July 18, 2012 11:35 a.m.
I have seen evidence of Plan B as I drive through upstate New York in the summer. there are more markets on the roadside as growers get rid of the excess crops such as tomatoes and make a few dollars. this however is not a long range plan. What do workers do who are fifty and have lost their jobs? What do the young people do after grade 12 and live in a very small town with no college nearby? We can all talk about adaptability, resilience courage and other qualities that are needed to make changes. For the 50 year old man with children at home and aging parents, how does he cope with changing times. Perhaps readers have specific suggestions.
- Barbara
July 14, 2012 5:19 a.m.
I said this same thing (mostly) on the topic of resiliency, but I feel like it is equally applicable to this topic, so please pardon my repetition. Anyway, here's my two cents, as succinctly and efficiently as I can think to put it: The oak may seem to be a pillar of fortitude and majesty, but in a strong enough wind it will either stand straight or be destroyed. The willow will bend and yield to the wind, but when the wind passes it is still a willow rather than firewood or fertilizer. Be the willow, because no one can control the wind. I do not mean to suggest that one should bend to all pressures of the world, or that one should be meek or fickle or have nothing they would stand for whether standing firm may result in being broken or not. What I mean is that it is important to try your best to always be mindful (be honest with yourself and think critically) so that you can recognize the difference between the times when "Plan A" is simply impossible or impractical and the times when "Plan A" (your chosen/preferred route) seems impossible perhaps, but in reality is just difficult, as all great endeavors are. Stubbornness is best used sparingly. Conviction and adaptability must be carefully balanced.
- Cameron
July 12, 2012 8:11 p.m.
Upon reading this post, the John Lennon quote immediately came to mind, so thanks to Tom for adding that quote. There is also an idea from the late President and former General Eisenhower, namely, that plans are themselves 'useless,' but planning is indispensable. How can that be? Eisenhower probably knew it by training and intuition. Recent scientific research has shown that we tend to have an over-optimistic bias toward the outcomes and completion times of our own plans--or even their advisability--the so-called 'planning fallacy.' What the words of John Lennon, Dwight Eisenhower, and the findings of psychological research may be pointing to is the benefit of cultivating 'situational awareness,' that is, developing a mindful understanding of what we're doing and what is going on around us over time. In some sense, then, it may be possible to expect nothing, but be prepared for anything. The flip side of adverse change taking us by surprise is that unexpected positive change can happen--and regularly does, but chance favors the prepared mind. A world of unexpected calamity and heartache is also a world of unexpected wonder, possibility and growth.
- Alan
July 12, 2012 2:31 p.m.
As a John Lennon song lyric once put it "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans." Adverse change can be sudden and deep, and sometimes no amount of planning makes anything better.
- Tom
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