November 23, 2024

by Dr. Plastic Picker

I think at some point when I was chatting with my sister, I realized that we aren’t a normal family. We have a lot of accomplished adults in their mid to late 40s that care about our country and society, and actually taking responsibility for things. It’s a heavy load, but I realize that it’s us that keep us going. I look at my brother-in-law (which I don’t share too much on Instagram because of the anti-military rhetoric) is a naval hero, and I admire him and it keeps me going knowing how much he cares and works on behalf of what he thinks is right. When you are in that milieu, it pushes one further in your goals and ambitions and responsibilities. It’s a heavy load but we keep on going on, and supporting each other and playing our roles.

Just meandering thoughts as we head into the holiday weekend. The election results were crazy and the world is a bit off-kilter these days. But I’m strangely okay. I just know what role I’m supposed to play in this timeline and I’m playing it. I find life vastly amusing for the little stories that are happening just locally in the climate space. When there is hardship, there is also vast opportunities. So I’m moving forward with our premedical team and we are going to make lemons into lemonade.

We are getting involved in the UC Irvine Hydrogen blending project, pretty much trying to help stop it. It’s just a wonky subject that is perfect for this brilliant premedical student that I am working with. So we’ve reviewed the information. I just submitted my own personal comments, and will be working with our student on this project. It’s the prefect project because it’s so wonky, so important and it entails the skillset I’m the best at – which is making NOISE! Oh, Dr. Plastic Picker can make tons of NOISE about this. Resolutions, op-eds, blogposts, webinars. There are a lot of ways to work on this! Yeah!!! Where there is a motivated premedical student and also a just cause, that is the secret sauce to a great project!

We are also moving forth with H3SD 2025 and the chief of urology has already jumped in as a new piece, and bringing a group urologists for social responsibility. I didn’t even know they existed but they exist and that is wonderful and they are coming! We are working with AAP District 8 and helping to make a District 8 (which is the whole western US minus California) heat and human health summit in May and I’ve gotten the initial green light to bring along our HMO to co-brand and help. I just Instagram messaged a contact (which is also a Harvard connection) from HMO Oregon and I think this should be relatively easy to get involved with to move the climate work forward.

So lots to do. But realizing that some of all of this is that we went to top notch schools and that branding and networking does help. It’s hard to admit that to our daughter who is in the middle of junior year. She’s doing really well and I’m proud of her. I still fundamentally remember that she is an ex 28 week preemie, and seeing her aim for a top Ivy League is humbling – when I’m just grateful that she is alive and every day I get to be her mother. But I am also not stopping her from reaching for her dreams. So this thanksgiving break we are mostly just resting and resetting after her finishing the trimester. Her brother will be coming home as well soon from his sophomore year of college and I’ve been deep cleaning his room and excited he’ll be sleeping in a room relatively free of dust and gross things in the carpet. That is my climate activists life! I’m still manifesting many things and there are so many possibilities about how this whole drama is going to end. But I believe in happy endings for everyone!