I'm writing this as I see patients on a gray, muggy, early-summer morning. Two things this week have sparked some introspection on the power of family medicine.

I've mentioned before in this column¹ about my favorite author, Kurt Vonnegut, and his fictional four-dimensional aliens, the Tralfamadorians. They view all time at once, like looking at a complete mountain range in the distance, rather than a forward-marching series of moments. In fact, they pity Earthlings for only experiencing three dimensions (the fourth dimension is time).²

I've been thinking a lot about that recently — how life's moments are like “beads on a string”³ passing through our fingers. I find comfort in that; I don't think I'd want to see all time at once. I like the feeling of change, the up and down of our cumulative existence, the unknown of what's next, and the power to change it. This timeline perception allows for an appreciation of the circle of life.