Power of positive thinking

This is my friend, Carol, in my home for lunch and a game of Wii bowling and golfing (2011).

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Whenever I feel depressed and hopeless, I think of my friend, Carol. She is such an inspiration for all of us.

This is a widow in her 80s, who still drives her car and attends plays and shows at various theaters – even at night when bad people could knock her down and steal her purse. She is fearless. I feel that if this elderly widow can drive so bravely at night, why the hell can’t I? For Pete’s sake, get in the car and drive, man!

I last saw her at Straub Medical Center a few years ago. I asked her how she was feeling. Instead of giving me a laundry list of personal problems, Carol told me she was studying Italian. Once a month, she got together with her classmates to have a potluck Italian lunch in their Italian teacher’s home, each person bringing an Italian dish to share. They sat down to eat and conversed in Italian. Whoa! And this woman is in her 80s? Incredible!

Carol graduated with a degree in Dance from Juilliard in New York. She was a Dance Critic for The Honolulu Advertiser for many years. She is now retired. She walks freely without assistance, probably because of her training as a dancer. She also golfs.

She has a keen interest in ballet. She told me she attended 2 different productions of “The Nutcracker” and enjoyed comparing the choreography and dancing of the two shows. This woman definitely does not have dementia. She is such an engaging conversationalist. Not dull, at all.

Carol is a classic example of the power of positive thinking. She has tremendous positive energy and a can-do attitude in life.

To know her is to want to be just like her.

Here’s a toast to my dear friend, Carol. May she live long and continue to inspire all of us.