I hope it’s still true, but for many years the neurosurgery service at the hospital where I worked had a wonderful ritual. Every time a neurosurgery resident performed a case for the first time, they were sent to the cafeteria to buy ice cream for the entire team.

Ice cream (especially Blue Bell Vanilla…. IYKYK) is joy in a container, joy that can be expanded by using the simple and ancient practice of a blessing. Judaism has a long history, and many resources for blessing the routine moments in life, including a blessing for the first time something is experienced. You don’t have to be religious to adopt this practice – you just have to find how to acknowledge and appreciate the moments that inspire joy, awe, and wonder.

The power of this practice is amplified by writing them down, which is why I think it’s important for everyone learning to be a healer to keep a journal. There are many reasons a journal helps make sense of your experiences, but being able to relive these “first time” experiences years in the future will surprise and sustain you in ways you can’t imagine now.

So spend a few moments recording what happened, who was there, and how you felt the first time you hear a murmur, the first time you cry with a patient, the first time you see the miracle of birth, and the first time you bear witness to a family’s unimaginable loss. Look for first times that maybe aren’t so obvious, too, like the first time you meet a famous teacher, the first time you walk into a new hospital, the first time you get to park in the “good” parking spaces.

But most of all, record the moments you never want to forget… like the first time you hold a newborn during the magic hour when they are starstruck, looking around with open eyes and wonder (the most peaceful expression you will ever see on a human face).

So buy the ice cream for the first case.

And then … write down how blessed it made you feel.

Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.

mary oliver