1. < Aging Well

A question came to mind regarding hope.

Posted by joybo99 @joybo99, May 2 6:13pm

Because feeling "hopeful" has been associated with living longer, I was curious if the absence of hope would have the opposite effect, i.e., shortening a life.
Then I found this article which may interest others.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5552440/#:~:text=Results,respectively%20(P%20%3D%200.002).

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Aging Well Support Group.

fireflysurvive | @fireflysurvive | May 6 8:08pm
In reply to @janeaddams "On the subject of hope ... a book that has helped me through past crises is..." + (show)
@janeaddams

On the subject of hope ... a book that has helped me through past crises is "The Anatomy of Hope", by Jerome Groopman, M.D. He writes of realistic hope (vs. the other kind),.. and how to adjust our goals as we go along. Dr. Groopman is an empathic, pragmatic doctor and a good writer. Also, I'd like to second @edsutton's recommendation of Viktor Frankl's magnificent book "Man's Search for Meaning". If Dr. Frankl could retain some hope in a concentration camp ... and he did... we can learn a lesson from it. He attributes this attitude to helping him survive with and for a purpose, which was in part to write the book and inspire others who suffer.

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When I went to college years ago my philosophy teacher assigned students to read Viktor Frankl's - 'Man's Search for Meaning'. That was circa 1979/1980 and I never forgot this profoundly moving book. I just purchased a copy of the book about a year ago for my bookshelf since my first book is in a storage unit far away and at a low point in my recent life, I needed to re-read this book to empower me to not give up. I cannot count how many times I'd recounted the words of that book since having red it over four decades ago now.

Hope is life

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1 reply
gravity3 | @gravity3 | May 7 6:49am
In reply to @fireflysurvive "When I went to college years ago my philosophy teacher assigned students to read Viktor Frankl's..." + (show)
@fireflysurvive

When I went to college years ago my philosophy teacher assigned students to read Viktor Frankl's - 'Man's Search for Meaning'. That was circa 1979/1980 and I never forgot this profoundly moving book. I just purchased a copy of the book about a year ago for my bookshelf since my first book is in a storage unit far away and at a low point in my recent life, I needed to re-read this book to empower me to not give up. I cannot count how many times I'd recounted the words of that book since having red it over four decades ago now.

Hope is life

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Curious...
What does "not giving up" meant to you?

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1 reply
margotcc | @margotcc | May 7 10:30am
In reply to @bvpepper "Thank you! Your wisdom Perhaps the philosophy or mindset you have adopted could be called, “living..." + (show)
@bvpepper

Thank you! Your wisdom
Perhaps the philosophy or mindset you have adopted could be called, “living in the moment”? Focusing on “one day at a time” and “what can I control” can foster a realistic sense of empowerment and control that also helps with fear (found in thoughts about the future).
I’m going to find the book (Anatomy of Hope), and read further!
Thank you, Joy, for sharing your hopeful wisdom!!!

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I like a lot of what I read here. Had to learn a few things the hard way, learned that I was somewhat unrealistic or just stuck my head in the sand.
Right now I’m just trying to stay in the moment, and living one day at a time, to the best of my ability.
If I do get depressed or hopeless, I go to my gratitude list. It’s long, and usually that makes me feeling thankful and more positive again.
I also keep this saying in my mind: If today is good, tomorrow will probably be good too.
Basically, I am a positive person, with my kids having me accused of being a polliana? at times.
There may be some truth to that, but I don’t care. I’m 83, lol. Am entitled to some character defects!

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1 reply
joybo99 | @joybo99 | May 7 12:01pm
In reply to @gravity3 "Curious... What does "not giving up" meant to you?" + (show)
@gravity3

Curious...
What does "not giving up" meant to you?

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This is a great question! I look forward to seeing responses to this.

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joybo99 | @joybo99 | May 7 12:18pm
In reply to @margotcc "I like a lot of what I read here. Had to learn a few things the..." + (show)
@margotcc

I like a lot of what I read here. Had to learn a few things the hard way, learned that I was somewhat unrealistic or just stuck my head in the sand.
Right now I’m just trying to stay in the moment, and living one day at a time, to the best of my ability.
If I do get depressed or hopeless, I go to my gratitude list. It’s long, and usually that makes me feeling thankful and more positive again.
I also keep this saying in my mind: If today is good, tomorrow will probably be good too.
Basically, I am a positive person, with my kids having me accused of being a polliana? at times.
There may be some truth to that, but I don’t care. I’m 83, lol. Am entitled to some character defects!

Jump to this post

Gratitude.
Small word, but it really makes a difference!
Just turning my head around some days from "what I have lost" to "all that I HAVE" makes a huge difference. ❤️

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1 reply
edsutton | @edsutton | May 7 4:03pm
In reply to @joybo99 "Gratitude. Small word, but it really makes a difference! Just turning my head around some days..." + (show)
@joybo99

Gratitude.
Small word, but it really makes a difference!
Just turning my head around some days from "what I have lost" to "all that I HAVE" makes a huge difference. ❤️

Jump to this post

Gratitude.
I can lift my mood just by looking at a color and realizing how wonderful it is to see colors. These are the the things I am most grateful for, the senses that allow me to see, hear and feel the miracles of life around me.

Compare the surface of the earth with the surfaces of the moon or Mars! All of this amazing life growing, singing, moving. Millions of cicadas singing right now, leaving their burrows to aerate and irrigate the soil.

Glad that I have a little bit of knowledge to appreciate life's forms.
And it's mostly a free show!

I'll quote myself from another Mayo Connect discussion. (Grateful for these discussions, for all the folks sharing things that really matter!):

I found this video about 10 years ago.
It changed my life.
I remember some part of it every day.
< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zl9puhwiyw&gt;

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1 reply
joybo99 | @joybo99 | May 8 8:22am
In reply to @edsutton "Gratitude. I can lift my mood just by looking at a color and realizing how wonderful..." + (show)
@edsutton

Gratitude.
I can lift my mood just by looking at a color and realizing how wonderful it is to see colors. These are the the things I am most grateful for, the senses that allow me to see, hear and feel the miracles of life around me.

Compare the surface of the earth with the surfaces of the moon or Mars! All of this amazing life growing, singing, moving. Millions of cicadas singing right now, leaving their burrows to aerate and irrigate the soil.

Glad that I have a little bit of knowledge to appreciate life's forms.
And it's mostly a free show!

I'll quote myself from another Mayo Connect discussion. (Grateful for these discussions, for all the folks sharing things that really matter!):

I found this video about 10 years ago.
It changed my life.
I remember some part of it every day.
< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zl9puhwiyw&gt;

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Well I would stick around for a more lengthy response, but I must go look at the video you suggested!
Have a great day & thank you

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1 reply
edsutton | @edsutton | May 8 8:27am
In reply to @joybo99 "Well I would stick around for a more lengthy response, but I must go look at..." + (show)
@joybo99

Well I would stick around for a more lengthy response, but I must go look at the video you suggested!
Have a great day & thank you

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Joy-
It's better than anything I could say.
I hope it speaks to you.
Ed

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1 reply
joybo99 | @joybo99 | May 8 10:22am
In reply to @edsutton "Joy- It's better than anything I could say. I hope it speaks to you. Ed" + (show)
@edsutton

Joy-
It's better than anything I could say.
I hope it speaks to you.
Ed

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Thank you so much for the recommendation!
Loved it, Copied it. Maybe use as my daily meditation.
Will definitely share!

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samcal9977zz | @samcal9977zz | May 9 2:26pm

Hope is the thing with feathers

- by Emily Dickinson

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

This poem is in the public domain.

Emily Dickinson

(I LOVE Emily Dickinson)

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