Some of you know of my The Walking Gallery jacket.  I tend to be reserved at talking about myself, but have come to realize –it’s not about me.  I had the pleasure of meeting Regina Holliday at one of the ONC Policy Meetings a few years ago --February 25, 2010—to be exact.  (It’s Regina—not me, who has an impeccable memory.) Fast forward to Saturday, June 25, 2011 and Regina completed my jacket. Peruse her blog and you will discover the history of the Walking Gallery—it’s all about realizing possibilities and not being limited by constraints.  I will let you read about the uncanny events that evolved when she blogged about my jacket.  You see, Regina has a surreal ability to read your soul and passion in a few short meetings.  Story after story evolves about –“how did you know that?”  She paints jackets depicting the angst of individual situations of health care with an eerie precision. 

Yesterday I met Regina and her fun son, Isaac, to retrieve my jacket back from Regina.  She had it for a few weeks to glean a close-up for her new book released a few weeks ago (proceeds of which support the patient travel fund for the Society for Participatory Medicine.  We met at the mural she painted almost three years ago on Connecticut Avenue in DC after her husband died.  I confess—I drive down Connecticut frequently, always glance at it when I drive by, but never have stood at its base and soaked in the detail.  It instilled calm in me as I looked at the detail, and grounded me of the magnitude of the change we can accomplish if we live life boldly. I was soon joined by Regina and Isaac, whereupon we ventured across the street to enjoy a “root beer float”.   I secretly had been looking forward to the jacket handoff all day-for multiple reasons (….anticipating the floats I loved as a child, being one.)

As always, Regina never disappoints. Our short meeting was a “rattle-my-cage” moment in –do what you love and are good at. She doesn’t dole out advise per se—influencing more by expressions, laughs, “have you heard”, descriptions of what she is doing and participating (and how fast progress takes off.)            Regina unconditionally encourages, nudges, educates and motivates us to be our best, do our best and never settle for less.  She had just returned from a keynote speech (where she received a rare Aussie standing ovation) at the Health Informatics Society of AustraliaHealth Informatics Conference. She brought her copy of the book from the conference, (where copies sold out) so I could get a glimpse.  She chose 40 jackets out of over 170 different jackets—mine was one of the ones lucky enough to make the cut. So after the way-too-short visit, I gathered my jacket, resumed the hunger for my copy of her new book, and promised to find a few Walking Jackets in Australia when I speak at the International Congress of Dietetics in September.  And walked away with a refreshing new look at myself. Even though it’s not about me.  Am grateful our paths crossed.