“Taking time to rest and restore is important because we cannot help others unless we are in a good position to help,” says retired surgeon Wayne B. Tuckson, MD. And Wayne knows a lot about what it means to restore.
A Washington, D.C. native, Wayne moved to Louisville in 1994. “I came here to join the faculty at the medical school,” he says. In his four decades of experience as a colorectal surgeon (a surgeon who specializes in conditions affecting the large intestine), Wayne has been affiliated with many local hospitals, including University of Louisville Hospital and UofL Health–Jewish Hospital.
If you haven’t seen Wayne walking down hospital halls, you might recognize him from his weekly KET television show Kentucky Health, which first went on the air in 1996. “It was my intent to find a way to try and educate the community on health care and demystify its complexity,” Wayne says.
Taking time to restore after surgery is a large part of any procedure, and Wayne’s experience with his patients during their exams and visits gave him a firsthand view of the power of restoration. Constantly amazed by the number of patients resistant to a prescription of rest after surgery, Wayne says, “I’d tell people not to plan on doing anything because you’re going to need time to rest, but they’d go on to schedule all sorts of things.”
Giving your body the proper time to heal after a surgical procedure is crucial for a healthy recovery. “In one of his songs, Bob Marley says, ‘Who feels it knows it, Lord,’ and people don’t necessarily believe it until they feel it,” Wayne says. Once his patients “felt it,” they took the time needed to recover because the physical limitations of surgery necessitate some self-care and downtime.
But restoring is also an emotional option. Do we take the time to choose it?
The results of a 2017 survey by Wakefield Research show that 78% of Americans don’t set aside time to relax each day. And according to the National Library of Medicine, a big reason people don’t take time is due to staying on top of large workloads. When we avoid taking the restorative time we need, our “work hard/work harder” attitude can be a detriment to our well-being, contributing to heart disease, high blood pressure, and other health issues.
“There’s more to life than promotion and self-advancement,” Wayne emphasizes, as this drive can blind us to restorative influences inherent in the beauty of life. Throughout his career, Wayne observed many who were successful in their professional lives, but disconnected in their lives outside of work — including with their families. This observation was a big influence in how Wayne approached his work/life balance. The other major influence was his son.
During his busy career life, Wayne sought to balance family and work — never wanting his career to dominate his role as husband or father. “I didn’t miss a single practice, play, or sporting event that my kid was doing,” Wayne says. “Nothing mattered to me more than that.” Wayne continued to practice medicine to the best of his ability, but with the understanding that being there for his family was paramount. “I’ve never introduced myself as Doctor Wayne Tuckson,” he says. “There’s so much more to me than that, and I want more for myself.”
The ‘more’ Wayne talks about includes finding restorative activities that feed his soul, in addition to his deep connection with his family. That’s where photography enters the picture. Just so you know, you don’t want to go on a walk with him if he has a camera in his hand (unless you enjoy frequent delays) because he’s going to stop (often!) to take photos. “Photography allows me to define myself in another way because I’m interested in so many other things,” Wayne says.
Growing up, Wayne watched his father always taking pictures. But at the time, he didn’t appreciate his father’s interest. Still, parental influence doesn’t stop after childhood, and watching his father’s love of picture-taking influenced Wayne to explore this creative medium in his own adulthood. Wayne is deeply moved by the intricacy of nature’s form and function and says, “I get lost in that sense of wonder.”
Exploring the complexity of nature through his camera lens was helpful when Wayne moved from clinical to post-clinical life. “I’m very comfortable being alone with my camera because photography gives me purpose,” he says. This power of purpose is restorative for Wayne, and he encourages everyone to find this same rejuvenation in their daily lives. “Find that thing you love and take the time to do it,” he says. This could be spending time with grandkids, taking long walks in nature, or having a quiet sit reading. “For me, it doesn’t have to mean something big,” Wayne says. “I can go to a park and have a photo safari, or sometimes it’s just enjoying space with myself.” The key is to find an activity (or restful space) that brings you satisfaction.
Finding time to restore is very important for all of us. Taking downtime for yourself allows you to replenish and recover so you can be there to support friends and family — but most importantly yourself. “This concept can be tough,” Wayne says, “but we must have a clear mind, because how can we carry the load if we’re tired and weak?”
By Tonilyn Hornung
Leave a Reply