RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 How Can You Mend a Broken Heart? JF The Annals of Family Medicine JO Ann Fam Med FD American Academy of Family Physicians SP 2956 DO 10.1370/afm.2956 A1 Tanushree Nair YR 2023 UL http://www.annfammed.org/content/early/2023/02/02/afm.2956.abstract AB Being a resident is hard. Being a resident dealing with a recent breakup is even harder. I wrote this piece after a serendipitous encounter on Valentine’s Day with an elderly woman who embraced her messy journey to finding love, no matter her age or circumstance. We learn a lot from our patients: from their bodies, physiologies, and illnesses, we learn to become stronger clinicians; from their stories, traumas, and emotions, we learn to become more full, well-rounded humans. Looking back, I think about how easily I almost missed this heartfelt connection by being absorbed in my usual checklist of tasks for a new hospital admission. My patient’s keen insight into her own romantic life taught me a vital skill in both medicine and personal relationships: the importance of being open to the unexpected.