Welcome to Eudaimonia, a medical humanities journal created to promote critical reflection, creative expression, and healing amongst those who live and work within the world of medicine. Our journal takes its name from the Greek term eudaimonia, often translated to “human flourishing” or “living well.” Derived from Aristotelian ethics, eudaimonia goes beyond fleeting happiness (which it is sometimes mistranslated
to mean) or the mere absence of disease; it refers to the pursuit of living a life of purpose and virtue.

This issue, themed “Transitions,” explores the many personal and physical changes which accompany our patients’ lives, as well as our own, as we navigate medicine. In “The Hour of Consciousness,” we follow a man with ALS as he contends with his rapidly declining health and hopelessness; he arrives, in the story’s final moments, at a personal epiphany which reframes his illness—if only for an hour. “Life in Flux” reflects on the personal transformations medical trainees undergo as they contend with difficult decisions and conversations, while “Switchback” encourages us to enjoy the journey, even during those moments of discomfort.

Finally, moving away from the immediate realm of illness and medicine, “The Liminal Hour” recounts a Thanksgiving dinner punctuated by the recent loss of a loved one. The essay explores how death transforms not only the ones left behind, but even the grammar we use to describe those past—a phenomenon which follows us universally, whether we are the patient, physician, neither, or both.

It was a pleasure reading these pieces, and we hope you enjoy them as well.