I have been honored to serve as physician to hundreds if not thousands of people during my career, starting as a medical student at the University of Utah, and subsequently at Duke University Medical Center, mostly caring for those with HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases. In addition to patient care, I did important research to improve prevention and treatment options for both HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB). I then had the privilege of working at FHI360, a nonprofit global public health and human development organization, as an expert consultant and advisor with hospital and government officials in Africa (Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, and Nigeria) and Asia (China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia) who are trying to improve their care of people with TB and the combination of HIV/AIDS and TB. I retired from active practice in 2018 and am an emeritus professor at Duke, working with younger doctors training in infectious diseases.Now that I have time to reflect on my life, I realize I might have some useful things to share. I am about to launch the next edition of a memoir I wrote about a particularly difficult time in my young adult life, before I started medical school. It is called Hitchhiking to Madness: A Memoir and tells about how I married right out of high school and then hitchhiked across America on a spiritual quest, only to find my young husband’s mind unravelling before my eyes. I have already found that readers appreciate knowing they are not alone in having faced similar problems, and find courage in knowing that even major detours in life do not need to derail one’s ultimate goals. The new edition launch will be in July 2024!I have also found that my firm conviction that I had not one ounce of drawing or painting talent in my bones, was wrong. I am enjoying playing with color and painting first in watercolor, and now, mostly oils. I am a lifelong learner and love working with Duke's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI).I am increasingly involved in conservation activities including birding and nurturing of biodiversity with an emphasis on fostering native plants and reducing invasive species. I am now serving as President of the New Hope Bird Alliance, and learning from colleagues with years of experience.