Of Titles, Designations, Remembrances and Dualities

Every so often, I suspect each of us takes a slight pause or just stop what we are doing to remember and reflect on some aspect of our lives already lived. In my case, I usually wrap a remembrance around a non sequitur, an unrelated juxtaposition that I do not understand in the moment that it occurs, but revel in its difference and simple non-relatedness. Or it is that abnormal?

So, where am I off to with this thought?

Well, recently I have been reflecting on my time as the pre-health care academic advisor for upper level undergraduate University students who wanted to pursue medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, or any other emerging aspect of health care that was just starting to make inroads into college curriculums especially at community colleges. (Please note this remembrance is grounded in the mid-Seventies.) While intellect was not a roadblock for applying, there were other qualities that I knew would intrigue a professional health care institution in deciding “fit” and how well-rounded the applicant was in terms of other interests, avocations, and any other trait that might determine the applicant's evolution to a caring, compassionate, and ethical practitioner.

And then the “Renaissance” aura kicked in.

Renaissance men…Renaissance women…those special people who were deemed to be extraordinary generalists and specialists simultaneously; whose interests were vast, well honed, and open to a diverse potpourri of significant ideas and thoughts and accomplishments that only renaissance folks could easily, and with recognized authority, keenly articulate in an understandable manner the nuances and meanings of a host of topics that were “foreign” to most people.

Health Care...Renaissance…ordinary people…are we missing something here?

Maybe it is the egalitarian, creative, artistic spirit in me, but the designation “renaissance” probably should become a routine designation especially as society becomes more knowledgeable, driven by the ability to multi-task and explore all facets of the world’s knowledge (culture, politics, religion, social mores, economics, environmental issues, disputes that lead to violent conflicts etc.) at the click of a key or the pressing of a button or a finger swipe at a screen. And I think I now understand the “inspiration” for my latest reflection of juxtaposing two somewhat different observations.

Glennise Ayuk, photo provided

Glennise Ayuk.

With five poems slated to be presented in the forthcoming aaduna issue, Ms. Ayuk is assuredly creative, inspired, and knowledgeable within her persona as a respected poet and writer even while adding painting to her plethora of creative sensibilities. And that multi-hued inspirational element is appropriately structured on a new-found complementary passion, her obsession with Art.

A resident of Cameroon, which is geographically situated on the diversely vast and enormously multi-cultural African continent, she is globally minded in her perspectives. Her country often described by many as “All of Africa in one and Africa in miniature” may be germinating an evolved and therefore new definition of being described as a "Renaissance woman."  

And yet, where do I get this “renaissance” element that I add to the mix of characteristics that I think define Glennise as poet and writer? I submit the following for your consideration (that phrase has a Twilight Zone cadence to it or maybe I just stole it from Rod Serling's introduction to each televised episode and hopefully did not mangle the phrase too badly!)    

Ayuk
Ms. Ayuk is a final-year medical student (Interestingly, med school in Cameroon is a 7- year course of study and Glennise is a few months away from graduation,) who besides longing for sleep, is compelled to write, to create, to explore. Her list of publications affirms that fact. But that does not clearly explain her tentative designation as a possible renaissance person. For me, it is her blog and the compelling themes she writes about with a poetic honesty and professional frankness immersed in an easily understandable writing style. And to tell you what that blog is may be a disservice to her creative talents and an abject failure, on my part, to do justice to that side of her caring, humane and respectful personality.   

So, while you will have to patiently wait for the coming aaduna issue to be exposed to and enchanted by her poetry, you can get a glimpse of her “renaissance” joy d’vivre by going to www.pregcompanion.com. 

Glennise Ayuk + aaduna…bringing worldwide readers continuous doses of joyful and applicable information elegantly wrapped in the creative exploration of words and artistic visuals.  

WATCH FOR aaduna's summer 2019 issue LAUNCHING SOON!

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