It has been a wild ride on the news, with all the war conflicts and destruction between Ukraine and Russia in the East. Today I have the privilege to listen to one of the symphony orchestras performed by UNLV. It has been a long while since I attended a symphony. The last one was about eight years ago when my cousin. Ebony performed her cello recital at the Libby Gardener Hall in Utah.

I am particularly interested in this concert as this is performed by a Ukrainian native conductor and the UNLV student group. His name is Taras Krysa. His resume and dedication to education are impressive. He was born in Ukraine, and his parents are also musicians. He appeared internationally for decades and is world-renowned for his works. I found him to be an extraordinarily successful musician. At a very young age, he developed his passion for music, and he traveled across the globe to establish his career in America- much similar to my love for medicine.

“Why do you care?” my girlfriend later asked. Perhaps I am jealous since I also learned piano but is not half as successful as he is.

I arrived at the concert Hall at 2:45pm on a Sunday afternoon. While waiting for my girlfriend to come, I briefly visited the UNLV campus. The greenery, the trees, and the wind brought me peace. It has been a long time since I felt the wind brush on my face. It was calming and rejuvenating. The sound of college students chattering while walking across the campus brought me good memories of Utah. They also have incredible scenery there at UNLV. It helped relieve the stress I had from the hospital working as a doctor.

The music was spectacular. They started with the Ukrainian national anthem and ended with a folklore music piece. The entire session was about 2 hours, with an intermission in between.

I attended many symphonies back in Utah, but this Ukrainian symphony hit me differently. I can sense the anger, the frustration, and the sad things happening over in Ukraine right now. People are losing their homes, loved ones, and passion. Then it really hit me… What if we lose everything in this life? My health. my hobbies. And the ones I love. The simple things in life now have become so fragile. As we finish the symphony, I have a heavy heart that perhaps I need to focus on more important things- Family, friends, and relationships. I kissed my girlfriend goodbye and told my parents I missed them dearly.