Author
Humility is always a good thing. It’s always a good thing to be humbled by circumstances so you can then come from a sincere place to try to deal with them. – Michael J. Fox Humility was another important lesson. As a child, my understanding of humility was limited to platitudes and threats: “Don’t let…
The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown. – H.P. Lovecraft Fear has spawned many children; one of his favorites is Uncertainty who enjoys traveling with his sibling, Worry- Fear’s most insidious child. Together they are a formidable, often overwhelming threat…
Patience is a virtue, and I am learning patience. It’s a tough lesson. – Elon Musk I have learned, and continue to learn, the many meanings of Patience. But what, then, is a Virtue? It, too, has many meanings: goodness, righteousness, and morality. Virtue also connotes Dignity: self-respect, pride, and self-esteem. In this sense, my…
Patience is the art of concealing your impatience. – Guy Kawasaki As an adult, dentistry taught me some of the finer points of patience: focus, attention to detail, and concentration. My patients were good teachers. I once spent eight hours taking impressions for bridgework for a woman injured in an automobile accident. Except for a…
Have patience with all things, but first of all with yourself. – Saint Francis de Sales I have had many great teachers who have tried to teach me the virtue of patience. Two of the best instructors and taskmasters have been bipolar disorder and cerebellitis. I believe wholeheartedly with St. Francis; the lessons must begin…
The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of those depths. – Elisabeth Kubler-Ross I have met, have known, and have loved some of these “most beautiful people.” They have made me laugh; they have made me cry;…
Courage is knowing what not to fear. – Plato Sometimes, for me, the pursuit of this knowledge seems eternal. When I was a young child, Fear liked to play with me. He made strange noises at night and pretended to be a monster hiding under my bed; he disguised himself as my mother when she…
There is no hope unmingled with fear, and no fear unmingled with hope. – Baruch Spinoza Hope and Fear were childhood friends; they followed me everywhere…they still do! Hope was the one who encouraged me to try new things, to let go of the past when it was holding me back, and to persevere in…
Change and renewal are themes in life, aren’t they? We keep growing throughout life. – Susan Minot Change is good; when followed by renewal it is even better. Intellectually, this always made sense to me; emotionally, I was not so sure. Especially when Fear was around. Sometimes, however, I ignored Fear and took a leap of…
Our dilemma is that we hate change and love it at the same time; what we really want is for things to remain the same but get better. – Sidney J. Harris This was my understanding of “change” and my attitude toward it from childhood until bipolar disorder and cerebellitis entered my life. It was then…