All the world's a stage

My Primary Care Physician, Dr. Bernard Plansky, is a Renaissance man in the truest sense of the word. Beyond the skill, compassion and thoroughness in his practice, he has a range of interests that would make him worthy of at least a brief biography. But his deepest passion is Shakespeare, and he will share that selectively with his patients, and I have had the good fortune to be the beneficiary of his theatrical approach. Even more impressive is how he's taken that into the community, and on a few occasions brought Shakespeare to the mean streets of our city, and worked with hardcore youth in the most unlikeliest of ways -- having them perform excerpts from Shakespeare in a public presentation. It was one of the most remarkable performances I have ever witnessed with more enthusiasm than raw skill, but what became clear was that a group of young people, for one shining moment, had someone believe in them enough that they could take on the most implausible of challenges, and experience a measure of self worth they never deemed possible. This is not part of Dr. Plansky's practice per se, but it is emblematic of who he is as a person, and that very much carries over into his work as a physician.