Originally Published November 29, 2004 -- Your Wellness Guide

Change Is In The Air -- Gain Insight For 2005

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One of the best ways to gain insight into and wisdom for your own life, its purpose, and your personal progress is through listening about and learning from others’ lives.  In the onslaught of new books released for the gift-giving season, some thoughtful biographies have come to my attention that would help you review your everyday condition and what might be most important to you in the year ahead. 

Proving that we all have a purpose to fulfill in this life if we will make the effort for those things that are important to us and that come our way, Your Father’s Voice: Letters for Emmy About Life With Jeremy by Lyz Glick and Dan Zegart (St. Martin’s Press, $22.95) is the story of Jeremy Glick and how his wife, Lyz, dealt with his loss.  Jeremy has been recognized as one of the three main men who thwarted terrorist plans on United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed into a Pennsylvania field on 9/11.

This powerful story teaches you about what it is like to grieve on the largest scale, how to have compassion when all you want to do is run the other way, and why standing up for what you believe is paramount to living without regret.  Lyz Glick weaves her late husband’s past into why all of it meant something for September 11 — how he was physically and mentally prepared for that day — undeniable evidence that there is purpose in why we are on this earth.

Fittipaldi unexpectedly went blind at the age of 47 and had to learn not only the basics of living day to day but also how to find hope and meaning in spite of her devastating, permanent situation.  Part of that hope came in the form of learning to paint.  Today Fittipaldi is a world-renowned artist. 

The book leaves no stone unturned in minute detail about what it is like to lose your sight, including the physical, emotional, and mental changes and barriers.  You feel her pain, her triumphs, her need to be valued and find herself.  You are left with the feeling that if Lisa can do what she has done, certainly there is no room for excuses for those of us who have all our faculties intact.

Says Fittipaldi, “People change only when they are forced to change.  Fear makes us cling to our baggage, however awful, rather than jettison it in the hope of lightening our load.”   For the author, stress is a perception and attitude counts.  Two messages that are always timely.

On a lighter note, if “more family togetherness” is on your list of 2005 priorities, a new study by Brigham Young University says that  the happiest families are those who play and have adventures together, especially those activities which add a sense of challenge or opportunity for learning.  A great example of how to do this is in Jimmy Carter’s new book Sharing Good Times (Simon & Schuster, $21.00). 

Well-told story after story, Carter retells occasions in his life in which he was blessed by sharing recreational and important moments with friends and family.  Interestingly, the book starts out by prefacing how difficult it has been for him in his life to learn when and how to share experiences fully with others but that he feels it is a virtue to be nurtured and cherished. 

Whether you contemplate personal or interpersonal change for the upcoming year, these books offer excellent inspiration and thoughtful perspective.

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