No Excuses!

So last night my husband and I attended a PBS taping of Dr. Wayne Dyer's new program based on his upcoming book, EXCUSES BEGONE!

I've seen Dr. Dyer before, once in Los Angeles, where he gave a talk based on another one of his books, and another in the airport in Maui, which was much more of an excited fan-girl moment than anything else. And while he can always be counted on for an inspiring, wise, and very funny, talk--last night's program became particularly inspiring when he featured an amazing young man named Dan Caro.

Long story short, Dan was burned (0ver 80% of his body) in a terrible accident at age two--losing both hands, some of his toes, and requiring extensive skin grafts and surgeries. And yet, despite all of that, he is now an extremely accomplished musician, playing the drums like you cannot believe--with no hands in which to even hold the sticks!! (Click HERE to see how he does it.)

Needless to say, I was in awe. Everyone was. Listening to the talk that he gave, calling what happened to him a "gift" as it allowed him to reach so many people, and then watching him take to his drum set and really come alive, left us all humbled and speechless.

And of course, this being a program about dropping the assortment of  excuses that prevent us from going after our dreams, seeing someone who'd suffered so much, embrace life in such a big way, made me realize I had very little to complain about.

If you get a chance to watch it--you should. I'm guessing the show will probably air sometime in May, around the time Dr. Dyer's book is released. I'll be the one sitting third row center, wearing a purple velvet jacket and jeans.

Unless I look bad on TV. 

In which case, I've no idea who that lady is!!

Shiny Happy World

So I subscribe to this "Daily Tip from Dr. Weil," which means every morning I'm greeted with an e-mail featuring a topic on healthy living. Yesterday's was about optimism, and it went like this:

"Did you know that pessimism has been linked to a higher risk of dying before age 65? On the other hand, expressing positive emotions, such as optimism, is associated with a variety of health benefits: lowered production of the stress hormone cortisol, better immune function, and reduced risk of chronic diseases."

And then there's Dr. Wayne Dyer who says (paraphrasing):

"One of the most important decisions you'll ever make is whether or not you choose to live in an abundant universe."

All this talk about optimism, reminded me of an author panel I participated in last year where one of the guests in the audience asked if we YA authors feel compelled to write "up" endings, and if so, why would we chose to do such a thing when life gives you anything but. Isn't that a little unfair to our teen readers?

Yikes!

Well, the truth is, I do feel compelled to write "up" endings, but mostly because I believe in them. And while my life hasn't always gone in the exact way that I'd hoped, I truly believe that every single experience has prepared me for the next one, and more importantly, those same experiences (especially the not-so-good ones) brought the opportunity for growth.

In other words, I guess you could say that I'm a fervent believer in silver linings.

Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Tony Kushner says, (again, paraphrasing), that:

"Providing hope is a moral obligation."

And while I'm not always big on defining what is and isn't moral (it's a charged word meaning different things to different people) I like the quote. Providing hope is important. Robbing someone of hope is criminal.

And that's why I've decided to move HERE.

Or at least visit as often as possible. Because in a world where a simple spring shower turns into STORM WATCH 2008!!! I'd like to hang in a place that keeps it real, keeps it simple, and keeps it, well, positive.

And on that note, I leave you with this-- enjoy!

Happy Thursday Everyone!