2019 in Review: Closing out the decade

“First they’ll ask you why you’re doing it. Then they’ll ask you how you did it.”

It’s no secret that I’m pretty proud of what I’ve created. Not a “disruptor” by nature, I’m finding joy in creating my little “girl gang” of modern-day house calls doctors and nurses. There’s something thrilling about re-blazing a trail, but in a fresher, more accessible way. I like to say that I stood back and looked at all of the ways that being a parent can suck the life out of you, and then I decided to build a business around the one way I thought I was uniquely qualified to make parent life a little easier…by bringing the doctor’s office to you. Having a vomiting kid is horrible. Having to load up said vomiting kid in the car, lay out towels and puke buckets, wrangle the healthy sister into a car seat beside him, and then fight traffic to make it to the office, or worse, sit in a cold germ-filled urgent care waiting room for hours while the sick kid lays his puking head in your lap, and the healthy kid skillfully runs her fingers over every surface in the waiting room, and your sanity slowly drips out of your body, like that painful period you had last month…well, that is just complete nonsense. Folks, one of the reasons our great-grandmothers were able to grow gardens and bake cornbread from scratch and give birth without epidurals, was because they didn’t have to deal with half of the crap that our modern suburban lives throw at us, not the least of which, includes navigating the nightmare that is called “taking kids to the doctor.” Back in the day, Old Doc Baker would show up at their doorstep with his little black bag and save the day! Well let me tell you. At Pediatric Housecalls, we may not carry black bags…because…not cute. But we do carry some magic, and it turns out, that magic is not just in the form of strep tests and steroids. It turns out, that the phrase “We rise by lifting others” really is true. What I’m trying to say is this. The magic of Pediatric Housecalls isn’t just that we can diagnose and treat your child’s croup without you ever having to leave your house. The “extra” magic, as it turns out, is in the ripple effect it has, in the ways that by making your life a little easier, you’re then freed up to make a little magic happen in some other way, for some other person. I have some ideas about this, and because nothing makes me more reflective than the end of a decade, I’d like to share these thoughts with you here. Have a read. And thank you. The magic truly flows both ways. 

1. Life is tough and beautiful all at the same time, and that’s a universal truth, no matter who you are.

2. Trying to stay balanced gets you nowhere. Let me repeat that. If you’re always working to try and balance everything in your life, you’ll never go anywhere. You have to lean in one direction or another n order to get some momentum. Otherwise, you just stand perfectly still in one place. Forever. So, let’s ditch that outdated notion, and I invite you to join us in saying “Cheers and Buh-Bye” to the idea of striving to achieve work-life balance, or life balance of any kind, in our new decade! 

3.  It’s ok to screw up. I once thought I was going to be the “cool” boss by scheduling a “walking meeting” at a local park. Only problem was, the park that I chose has 4 different entrances off of 4 different major roads, and spans 98 acres, so everyone got lost trying to find the meeting spot. Sometimes the vision and the actual execution don’t match. If you’ve chosen the right audience, they’ll appreciate the effort more than the outcome.

4. No matter whether you’re like us, and you work in healthcare, or you’re the mom who always gets saddled with making the sign-up genius, some people will only remember you when they need something from you. Don’t let that make you feel sad. Feel privileged that you’re like a candle that comes to their mind when they’re surrounded by darkness. 

5.   My car is a pit. Messy, disorganized, and perpetually dented and dirty. Some day I’ll have a nice one. Today is not that day. I have crushed Goldfish crackers in the cupholders and Cheerios in the floor boards. (Side note: My kids are teenagers.) I like to think that it is my way of having some “street cred” with you all, and also my gift to you. Think your house is a disaster? Just look out your window at the train wreck minivan parked out front. You’re welcome. 

6.   Kids are hilarious. And gross. And blissfully unaware that they are both. It’s one of the many reasons why caring for kids beats caring for grown ups every. single. time.

7.   You can fake enthusiasm. You can even fake expertise and knowledge. What you can’t fake is compassion and vision. Both are absolute requirements to move the needle forward in the direction of making lasting change.

8.   “A rising tide raises all of the boats in the harbor.” It really is true. We’ve succeeded at what we do, based on our fellow mom-preneurs who’ve supported and rallied around us, and we are endlessly inspired by the creativity, talent, and passion in others all around us.

9.   You can either be the kind of person who dreams big, or you can be the kind of person who critiques, discusses, and roots against the ones who dream big. You’re choice. One side is really fun to be on. The other, I imagine, is not.

10.   Make no mistake, we want Pediatric Housecalls to be as indispensable to you as your  Amazon Prime account, and we feel that momentum heading into 2020. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t take time to stop and appreciate where we are now. There is a buzz you feel when others respond to something you’ve created, whether it’s a business or a piece of artwork. For us, there’s a buzz that also comes from connection. Connection to the kids we have the privilege of treating, to the parents we have the delight of meeting, to the dogs we have the joy of belly-rubbing, and to our team members we have the gift of working with. It’s a hard thing to describe the feeling of connection, but to me, it is simply, what makes all of this a worthwhile endeavor.