Day Two. The day began with a visit to the International Museum of Surgical Science near the lake-front in Downtown Chicago. It was a beautiful, wild morning for a drive into the city along the lake front. The lake was cold and wild, huge waves raging in the winter wind, and the morning sun illuminating the glittering city ahead. It was really nice to take a morning car ride with my peers for the weekend. There is something about being in the cocoon of a vehicle together, sheltered from the elements of the outer world that encourages simple sharing of ideas, feelings and musings on life. Everyone is going through something tough at some point. And simply sharing a window into who we are and where we are, with the world rushing by outside and the music and heaters on inside can foster little moments of fleeting togetherness. The museum is situated in a lovely historic townhouse, which is the perfect atmospheric setting for their collection. It is a great overview of surgery through time, bringing together science, art and artefacts to demonstrate how we got to the amazing place we're at in the world of bio-sciences today. One particularly interesting exhibit was on the history of surgery in Japan, with paintings and write-ups on famous pioneering Japanese surgeons and anaest
hetists from the 1700's onwards. It was interesting how my museum visits had a common thread of Japanese art and culture! Somehow this recurring theme helped to compartmentalise and consolidate the information and inspiration. We viewed David's special exhibition there. I was as moved by it as I've ever been by any exhibition I've seen. It is in a beautiful tranquil room with large windows overlooking the lake. The walls are filled with a beautifully curated selection of his works. There is a wonderfully gentle and insightful video playing, as well as some super hi-tech creations such as a large hologram print which is absorbing, magical, and exciting. Ancient skills coming together with cutting edge imaging technology... mind blown and curiosity peaked! Photographs of the tattoos he has created, as well as a beautiful selection of real-life moments with the clients and their families during the tattoo process take up a whole wall. This is the section that got me really sucked in. The photography was beautiful, but the moments between the people in them were truly heart-stopping. I could feel the moments, I was lost in them, and also lost in memories of familiar intimate moments shared with my clients and their loved ones. Not just post-mastectomy clients, but many a tender private moment have I been privy to over the years, and I have helped create something that somehow unlocks these moments between people. The rest of the group continued through the museum and I spent a few minutes sitting in the window seat watching the wind and the waves and allowing myself a few sneaky tears as I reflected on how lucky I am to have been part of those moments, to see the tenderness and kindness of humans in the face of adversity, and most of all to feel immense gratitude at the love I have in my life. Moving on now or it will get me snivelling again in the middle of an airport... I have a reputation to uphold don't ya know...