It’s All in the Attitude

Are you able to handle the trials and tribulations of life with effective coping skills that reduce your distress? Some people can–because it’s all in the attitude.

The best example of this happened to my daughter, Nicole, age 25, just this week. As she was walking to her car in the parking lot, a little old lady approached her and asked if she could do her a major favor. Nicole, of course, was somewhat cautious and hesitated, but thought the woman looked harmless (She was about 4’ 11” compared to Nicole at 5’ 9”). Nicole asked what she could do. It seems that the woman missed her bus after leaving a doctor’s appointment and needed a ride to the next bus stop. Nicole said she would take her and the woman climbed into her car.

Apparently, Gert just found out that she has spinal stenosis, a debilitating condition that would ultimately leave her unable to walk. At 87 years old, she was not ready to give in or give up. Gert said that this is not going to get her down. She said that she could easily sit home and do nothing, like a lot of her friends, but while she is able, she wants to get out, stay independent and be active for as long as she can. She lives in a retirement community and she sees her “miserable neighbors”, complaining all the time. She just waves and goes on her way. Gert said she enjoys the bus ride and talking with new people. Nicole was so impressed with her that she offered to drive her directly home. This little special lady was of course very grateful.

After getting out my obligatory motherly concerns (that she shouldn’t make a habit of picking up strangers, that it could’ve been a scam, that this woman could have been an ax murderer, etc,) I realized that Nicole had a truly wonderful, and positive experience that left a major impression. What an amazing attitude this woman had. At 87, she was still committed to living her life, without pity, without fear, without limitation.

What can we all learn from this? It’s all about how we perceive what happens to us that counts and that no matter what our age, we are in charge of the decisions that impact our lives. Therefore, we need to live our lives, removed from the expectations of others, so that we, too, can create the fulfillment and joy we want. Kudos to the remarkable lesson this little lady taught.