Thriving @ OHSU Casey Eye Institute

Casey Eye Institute offered a wonderful conference:  2017 Macular Degeneration and Vision Expo.  It was a privilege to be their keynote speaker at this event.  Thriving in the Journey:  Embracing Life one step at a time.  Afterwards there was a book signing of our book:  Look up, move forward.

Recently I had the amazing experience while in Israel to ride a camel.  I've thought a lot about this bucket list experience.  I incorporated this experience into this presentation.  Think of the traits that a camel has that helps him be resilient ... long eyelashes that help shield from the bright sun; amazing feet that help him walk in the sand ... the list goes on. ... We also have inside of us what we need to thrive and bounce back from our challenging experiences.

A client told me recently ... I just need to be resilient.  I reminded her that resilience is a journey with each challenge we are faced and one of the important steps is to honor our feelings ... to articulate and process our feelings in ways that we feel supported ... write, talk, draw, exercise, process our feelings.  Let it take the time it needs.

My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor and some style -- Maya Angelou.