health
As the market research team was presenting the findings of their survey completed the year before, I sat astounded at what I was seeing. A sizable group of patients who were diagnosed with what could be a terminal illness was asked a series of questions that were intended to uncover the attitudes and accompanying behaviors at least a year after the diagnosis had been made. Some of the group seemed chronically depressed and worried about complications. Others seemed to be in denial that anything was wrong. Still others showed angry and or blaming behaviors while some just seemed to be giving up on life. There was another group, however, that represented less than fifteen percent, who approached life with enthusiasm; they viewed their diagnosis as just another part of their lives, not a defining factor of for them. This group, termed by the research team as The Thrivalists, was “thriving” in each of their lives regardless of the diagnosis or secondary infections. Not surprisingly, this group showed the fewest hospitalizations and treatment complications, they were the most adherent to the treatment regimen, and they experienced the longest and highest quality of life, regardless of socioeconomic background. It boiled down to attitude (belief about one’s life and self therein) as the fuel that burns the desire to live with fullness in mind. I wonder at how great it would be if everyone could take on The Thrivalist attitude. Thankfulness for today is the first step on the stairway to the peak of healthy living!
It was a charter flight from JFK in New York to Taormina in Sicily, by way of Rome. We had found the cheap flight through a discount travel agency and quickly scooped it up. Our return flight was fifteen days later from Paris, and we had made no hotel arrangements or travel plans within Europe. Passports and backpacks tucked away, we settled into our seats with one carry on stowed securely in the bin above. When we landed in Rome we quickly grabbed our skimpy travel bags and exited to our intended destination, the Eternal City. Until that time I had never been outside of North America and as we stepped onto the street I was mesmerized at the meshing of ancient with the modern. After securing a room in a ragged pensione, we stashed our bags and headed to the Coliseum. The line to enter was short and we quickly made our way to the upper level to observe the vastness of what was once the Roman Empire’s recreational center. As I surveyed the grandeur of the ancient crafted stadium, I thought of my father and how much he would have enjoyed standing where I was, viewing the greatness of this now monument to an empire past. Tears of joy filled my eyes as I whispered; “this is for you, Dad.” The next fourteen days were filled with many more first adventures, each one embraced with a heart of thankfulness for the blessing of experiencing those places and things about which I had only read. There were challenges to getting there and there were challenges in navigating the way through, but perseverance and action toward the goal rendered a cornucopia of memories to last a lifetime. Aches and pains, stiffness and uncontrollable movements present their challenges, but I have learned that perseverance and action toward the goal of healthy living yields a harvest of opportunities far greater than the impediments. Today, thankfulness is the fuel that drives the engine of the vehicle called life!
The management training session in Mexico City had been a success and I was headed to Miami to celebrate Chad’s (my oldest son) eleventh birthday. I had a two day respite in Florida before returning to New England to prepare for the next trip to Hong Kong by way of Manila. The plane had just taken off from its refueling stop in Merida, on the Yucatán Peninsula. As we were climbing to ten thousand feet in our ascent, the cabin began to fill with stifling smoke. The oxygen masks deployed as the captain announced we would be returning to the hanger from which we had just departed. Suddenly an overwhelming sense of unfinished business began to consume me. A stifling fear that my sons or family might never be seen again was kept at bay by a frank surrender of my mind and heart to a place of thankfulness to God for what I had already experienced in my life. As the evidence of anxiety rose in the cabin of the 727, I settled down to a place of silent prayers of thankfulness and surrender to whatever might unfold. We returned safely to the terminal for a several hour wait before another departure that whisked us safely away to Miami International. The frank disruption of a clearly defined and planned agenda can be annoying but being confronted with one’s mortality seemingly prematurely presents life changing opportunities. A chronic illness known as PD came to reside with me a few years ago. It has insinuated itself in the midst of my agenda, at times planting anxiety, pain, and stiffness causing frank disruption to my planned life agenda. Like the event at Merida, I settle down to a place of quiet thankfulness for what has already been given. PD may have made its home with me for the duration, but it has not my life defined. I strive to keep it calmly in its quarters surrounded by exercise, good nutrition, and thankful surrender to God’s love. I am not thankful for the presence of disease, but I am thankful to the one who provides strength in surrender, growth in acceptance, hope in the battle, and victory every day.