Life is too short for bad wine!

Dear readers.
The past 2 weeks have been somewhat of a rollercoaster-ride and only now am I realizing how much of a toll 30 hour shifts every 3 days take.  Today I had my first vasovagal attack in surgery.  I have often enough experienced this when getting up to quickly from a lying or sitting position, or getting out of a hot-tub too fast, but I believe today was the first time in surgery, where I felt as if something dramatic was iminent. Therefore, when I asked if the airconditioning could be turned on, I was advised to sit down, and promptly my mask was taken off and I told that I was paper-white, i.e. very pale.  It was odd to experience this, as never before has surgery done this to me.  First feeling nausea, sweat, heat, unsteadiness, lack of concentration and even uneasiness in the stomach, as well as a feeling of general un-wellness.  After a bonbon, taking off my scrubs and some water, I was a lot better.  What exactly triggered it I'm not sure, but I was holding the laparoscopic camera quite unsteadily, and getting remarks of this.  I didn't have a coffee this morning.  I haven't been sleeping sufficiently, because of prolonged hours in the hospital, as well as having had quite the work-out at the gym yesterday.  So proabably a variety of factors accumulated to bring to a near vasovagal syncope for the first time.  After recuperating I entered another laparoscopic cholecystectomy and did fine.  Hopefully this was a one-time-only episode.

Later in the day I went with a friend to a bar close to the hospital, where students and residents (who don't have a shift) get together on friday afternoons.  I met some really nice people and had a couple of beers.  We spoke about this and that, yet mainly medicine, comparing Europe and Central America, learning how stark the contrasts between the two really are.  As the beer exited the pitchers, I was drawn to the dance-floor to be tought a few steps of merengue; a simple latin dance.  A bit of bachacha was thrown in, before me and my non-medical friend had to leave, for the sake of the hour.  Yet, this was a good time to leave, as we'd already had hour beers, had some good conversation, a couple of dances and it was nearing dinner-time.  We left happy and returned home to crack open a decent bottle of chilean merlot, to accompany the "dobladas" which were being prepared and filled with chicken.
This in when I said a few sentences, which I have conjured, after having heard some from various people:
-Life is exactly about what we've been doing tonight, i.e. having good conversation with nice people, a pint of beer, dancing, having good wine and good food.  Life is too short for bad wine; this is why I try to pick the better ones, without going bankrupt.  The thing with wines is that they are a question of price versus quality, this is something one always has to take into account.

These are just a few things that cross my mind, amidst what has being going on today.  Of course, one has to work, in order to have significant funds to enjoy these fruits of life, yet just like wine is a question of quality versus price, so is life.  What is life worth, if it is all spent on work and no play?  I believe if one can find a balance of professional and personal life, then one can attain true happiness.  However, if the balance is tipped too much towards one or the other, the equilibrium is lost.  Therefore, one must take care of not to work or study too much, as this will degrade life.  The same goes for living too much, as this might actually tip the equilibrium too much to the other side, resulting in loss of reality.  Balance is the way to go, not too much of anything, and neither too little.  Getting the balance right must therefore be our goal, in order to attain true peace of mind and thus happiness.