Morning Coffee
Jason Lunt, DO (2017)
acrylic paint on canvas
Unpredictable
Days need a meditation
Take another sip
I often arrive before sunrise and leave long after sunset, enduring unpredictable and challenging schedules while juggling multiple competing responsibilities: patient care, learning, teaching, administrative duties, research and meetings. A near constant distraction resides in my mind as I ponder about future tasks and responsibilities or reflect on past performances. I find moments of peace by focusing solely on the sensation of footsteps hitting the pavement or the diverse sounds heard whilst walking into the day — ignoring all other thoughts that enter the mind. This is a meditation. It can be short and simple. I focus for a few moments on the smell, taste and warmth of my morning cup of coffee, a consistent ritual which has also become a daily meditation. This fleeting moment where awareness is focused only on the present, without apprehension or angst, is what inspired this painting.
This manuscript was submitted to the April 2018 Arts in Medicine theme issue.
Resident Physician Contributing Writer
Saint Louis University
Jason Lunt has been an internal medicine resident at Saint Louis University since 2016. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in genetics and cellular biology summa cum laude at Arizona State University in 2012 followed by his Doctor of Osteopathy degree from Des Moines University in 2016. Jason lives in Saint Louis, Missouri with his wife and son.