The Weekly Heartfelt Inspirational Message closes out the 2020-2021 year

The whim has a poor reputation. “I got it on a whim” is usually a rueful explanation for an ill-advised tattoo or a misbegotten work of art. The whim generally doesn’t have a big role in the rigorous world of pharmacy.

But even there, the whim has a place. Discovery often begins with the whim of a bold innovator, who explores a new area of research or therapeutic approach.

A whim also might inspire, amuse, or teach. At least that’s the aim of the Weekly Heartfelt Inspirational Message (WHIM) MUSC College of Pharmacy Dean Philip Hall includes in his “From the Dean’s Desk” newsletter, sent weekly to the college’s faculty, staff, and students.

The WHIM is typically a quote from the worlds of literature, history, sports, science, or entertainment – basically all the Trivial Pursuit pie pieces except geography. It often reflects the week’s events, such as holidays, notable passings, observances, or even the Major League Baseball playoffs.

“We started the WHIM on a whim,” Hall said. “When the college started modified operations last March, we wanted to keep our sense of community intact even if we were remote. We increased communications considerably. We had a tremendous amount of news to share, especially in the days after the pandemic first hit South Carolina. The WHIM was a way to temper that news with something encouraging or entertaining.”

On June 30, the 2020-2021 fiscal/academic year came to an end. The wit and wisdom of the year’s WHIMs were collected into a Compendium of Cleverness and posted in the college’s cloud (login required; for a copy, send an email with subject line “Compendium of Cleverness request” to cop-communications@musc.edu).

Recent examples of the WHIM:

• June 18, 2021 (Father’s Day Weekend): When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years. ― Mark Twain
• June 4, 2021 (National Doughnut Day): I’ll share my life with you. But, not my doughnuts. ― from “Write like no one is reading 2” by Crystal Woods
• March 26, 2021: Everywhere across whatever sorrows of which our life is woven, some radiant joy will gaily flash. ― Nikolai Gogol
• March 19, 2021: All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. ― Gandalf
• February 26, 2021: March, master of winds, bright minstrel and marshal of storms that enkindle the season they smite. ― Algernon C Swinburne (March: An Ode)
• February 19, 2021: Let the new day shine - as the proverb goes - glorious from the womb of Mother Night. – Aeschylus (Agamemnon, 264-265)
• February 12, 2021 (during Australian Open): Here I am to try my best as always. That's it. Let's go day by day. – Rafael Nadal, 2021 Australian Open
• January 29, 2021: It’s never too late to be the person you want to be. You need to choose the life you want.– Diane Nguyen (Bojack Horseman)
• January 22, 2021 (day Henry Aaron died): Trying to sneak a fastball past Henry Aaron is like trying to sneak a sunrise past a rooster. – Joe Adcock

And, in honor of the self-reflection brought on by this article, a meta bit of self-depreciation to start the 2021-2022 year:

• July 2, 2021: A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. ― Annie Dillard