19March2024

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What are Vitamins for the Heart? Additionally to the physical help for us the spiritual support has likewise a big meaning. ‘Vitamins for the Heart’ is the title of series in which we publish new articles monthly. The Vitamins are compositions out of texts, which we are friendly allowed by the authors to present on our webpage. Because we had many positive reactions to the vitamins we also want to present them on our webpage and hope that they will also bring many others a big pleasure.

Vitamins for the Heart

Choosing the Positive

A compilation:

When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. — Max Planck

***

Many years ago, I took care of an old man with Alzheimer’s. For over six months, I fed him, gave him his showers, dressed him, kept him company, wiped his butt, and took him for walks. I also fended off his ‘crazy’ spurts—like when he tried to hit me all the way out of the house, then locked me out and was laughing maniacally through the window (Oh, yes. Ha. Ha. Ha.).

I took care of him because in the initial interview, I took to his wife —I really liked her. With dark circles under her eyes, she was completely overwhelmed, struggling to care for him 24/7. But, man … the love she showed her husband; the tender way she looked at him! He had no idea who she was, but still, she didn’t skip a beat. I wanted to help her, so I joined ship.

That period taught me a lot. I was in such a raw state in my own life that I could not bear to be touched. But, sometimes this old man could only be soothed by holding his hand. I’d have to hold his hand and go to this place of stillness inside myself, let that energy come across, and only then would he quiet whatever agitation might have stirred [him] up.

I would watch him for hours as he gazed outside. He saw things that I didn’t. I wondered what they were. I’d wonder if his glasses were magical, that through them he could view other worlds.

You could say he was suffering, but while I’ll never know for certain, I don’t think that was true. His mind was almost gone to another place, but for the most part, he seemed happy and healthy.

The people that really could have been suffering through this were his family members. His many children. His bright wife. But to suffer or not was their choice—and they chose not to. They consciously chose to take his Alzheimer’s in stride. To learn and grow as a family unit. Bond ever tighter. To request help when they needed it (enter me), and form a net of pure love to catch this man who meant so very much to them.

Alzheimer’s was a tragedy in that it took this man, while alive, from his family. It was a gift in that it allowed them an opportunity to grow — in spirit, as a family—in a way they may not have otherwise. They were lovely people. — Meriah / Link

***

There is positive in everything. In every person, in every situation, there is something good. Most of the time it’s not all that obvious. We have to look. And sometimes we have to look hard. The old me was content to sit back and just glance around. If I saw negative, I went with that feeling. I didn’t want to look harder or think too much about the good. I found it much, much easier to sit back and just accept what I saw (which was usually the bad).

Now, when I’m faced with a difficult or challenging situation, I think to myself, “What is good about this?” No matter how terrible the situation might seem, I always can find something good if I take the time to think about it. Everything—good and bad—is a learning experience, so, at the very least, you can learn from bad experiences. However, there’s usually even more to it than that. If you really take the time to look, you will usually find something good, something really positive, about every person or situation.— Dani / Link

***

The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes. — William James

***

Choosing a positive attitude is a process. We don't just choose it once and expect everything to be perfect from that moment on. We will still experience setbacks, delays, accidents, frustrations, arguments, fatigue, and fear. The secret is how we choose to react to these experiences. Do we want to let them ruin our day, or do we choose to pick ourselves up and look hopefully to the future again? We do have the power to choose. …

By choosing a positive attitude each day, we are actually attracting more positive experiences, and reducing the likelihood of negative experiences. You may have noticed that each experience often determines the quality of the next experience, causing a chain reaction in our lives. If one little thing goes wrong, it can throw off our plans for the rest of the day. In this context, it's easy to see how a positive attitude would be powerful. Rather than allowing one little thing to ruin our day, we would be able to shrug it off and continue on without a hitch.— Author unknown/ Link

Copyright © 2013 by Anchor



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