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Programs

 How To Be A Burden to              Your Kids

      The Gift of Years

    Thank God, We're              Miserable

 The "Oy" and Joy of Caregiving

   Didn't My Skin                 Used To Fit?

          Aging with Humor

I've Survived Damn   Near Everything

Strong At the Broken Places

 When the Heart                 Weeps

     Making Loss Matter

 Too Soon Old, Too              Late Smart

   When am I Old Enough to Know    Better?

Quotes for Meshuganas

Bring Me a Sane Man and I will cure him for you. Carl Jung

A sane response to an insane situation is insane. R.D. Laing

God is a comedian playing to an audience that is afraid to laugh -Voltaire

The only fool bigger than one who knows it all is the one who argues with him

 The only people I know who are happy are those I don't know well.

The monkey may be off your back, but the circus never leaves town. Anne Lamott


Tools for "Suffering In Style."

Resign As General Manager of the Universe

Live in the Moment

Schedule Joy in Your Life

Think Like an Optimist

Think about Thinking

                                    Life Changing Books

A Gift from the Sea - Anne Morrow Lindbergh

If You Meet the Buddha On the Road, Kill Him- Sheldon Kopp, MD

Man's Search for Meaning -Viktor Frankl, MD

The Road Less Travelled - M. Scott Peck, MD

When Bad Things Happen To Good People - Rabbi Harold J Kushner

Less is More the Paradox of Choice - Barry Schwartz

The Search for Momma and the Meaning of Life- Irvin Yalom, MD

Flying Without Wings Personal Reflections on Being Disabled - Arnold Beisser, MD



Favorite Links

Everything about aging has changed but the way that we think about it.  Our beliefs and expectations were formed when people were ”old” in their 60's, families lived close to each other and kids left home.  Now we have what’s been called ”bungee families” with grandparents raising children at the same time their caring for their parents- beyond the sandwich generation, the “club sandwich generation.”.

Many elders feel as if they "have stepped into the wrong story."  The life they lead and the challenges they face were not how they expected their lives to be.  Just like the Wizard of Oz, we must rediscover our own strengths and eliminate the misperceptions that keep us stuck.   Self-efficacy - our belief in our ability to handle our problems is the key to resiliency.   The many challenges and losses that accompany aging force us to examine our relationships and our core beliefs about life, happiness, purpose, and love. Learning to “suffer in style” - having a meaningful life at the same time while we’re struggling.  This programs explores the risks and rewards of interdependence

Sunday
Sep122010

We're All Here Because We're Not All There

DateSunday, September 12, 2010 at 6:17PM

         

  

 

We’re All Here Because We’re Not All There

          How Going Crazy Gives You Peace of Mind

We don’t laugh because we’re happy, we’re happy because we laugh.                                                                  William James

 As Oscar Wilde observed, "Life is much too important to be taken seriously." Humor is the soul's weapon against the unfairness of life. It enables us to triumph over the helplessness we often confront as we age.  Taking a comic view of life's trials and challenges enables us to gain a sense of control. Current research is rediscovering that laughter, optimism and hope have significant therapeutic value. This program explores the life lessons found in our humor.

          - learn ways to incorporate humor into their lives

          - increase optimism

          - employ humor to reduce negative stressors

          - discover how laughter and humor positively affect the immune system

          - understand how the ability to heal is affected by beliefs and attitudes

            



AuthorJudith Harris | Comment2 Comments |