With Mayo Clinic oncologist Edward T. Creagan, M.D.

In Minnesota, we view March as a time of hope, possibilities, and promise. We all know that the bitter and dark days of winter will soon be over. Spring, yes, will be here and the sun, the grass, and the flowers will enhance the quality of our lives.

In the athletic world, spring is also the time of promise. Every Major League Baseball team is in the hunt for the World Series. The endless schedules of the NHL and NBA now focus on the drive to the playoffs, when games really do matter. The Masters in Augusta, Georgia, is an epic golf event. The greatest 2 minutes in sports, the run for the roses at the Kentucky Derby, offers racing immortality to the horse, the owner, the trainer, and the jockey. So, hope springs eternal.

Likewise, for us, we can choose to see hope and promise in circumstances. I heard a speaker one evening make the comment that almost never do we learn from our mistakes and failures, but we could if we were reasonably attentive and reasonably insightful. So, although none of us likes to fail or have setbacks, if we are honest with each other it is probably fair to say that we learn some powerful lessons from adversity. Let me share one with you.

One of our close friends is a pilot for a major air carrier. Every six months, he and his colleagues undergo an intensive training program at corporate headquarters to keep up to speed in the latest aviation technology. They score their level of alertness on a scale of 0 to 10 throughout a simulated flight. Most of the pilots rated themselves 9. However, when sophisticated sleep analyses were performed, each pilot was sleep deprived and clearly not functioning at an optimum level. They thought they were on top of their game, but they were sleep deprived. So, what is the lesson for us?

We too may not be functioning at an optimum level, and we do not know it. Therefore, a good night's sleep; conscientious exercise; attention to nutrition; and connectedness with colleagues, family, and the community are all crucial to recharge our batteries and help us withstand the stresses that we hear each day. We are in the driver's seat and need to take control of our own health and well-being.

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