Dr. Lisa's Bountiful Life

Remembering Dr. Nye

My high school principal died of Parkinson's in 2012.

Dr. Kenneth Nye was just seventy, and had struggled for fifteen years with this disease.

Dr. Nye was a fine educator. Many a young Belisle graduated from Yarmouth High School having benefitted from his leadership. He was named Maine's Principal of the Year in 1993.

Despite his diagnosis, Dr. Nye lived his life fully and completely.

At age sixty, he became a poet. He published four books of poetry, one of which included the piece Going Home at Twilight:

Coming down the trail at twilight,
I am perilously close to
being stranded in darkness.
Earlier I had figured
I could ski the loop
before it got dark.
I was wrong.
But I know where I am,
and in the dwindling light
I see the trail, and the trail
will bring me home.

 According to his obituary, Dr. Nye enjoyed, "crafting pewter soldiers, his favorite toys from childhood. His love of gardening, bird-watching, travel, literature, tractors, riddle/joke/storytelling, swimming, sailing, ice cream, musicals, etc., kept him engaged in life to the last."

Dr. Nye was a vibrant, intelligent man. It seemed particularly ironic that a disease of the brain and nervous system would prove his undoing.

People like Ken Nye remind us that Parkinson's Disease, though yet incurable, can be managed better, longer, by staying active.

Here in Maine, we are fortunate to have researchers such as Dr. James Cavanaugh from the University of New England examining the relationship between Parkinson's and physical activity.

We are equally fortunate to have places such as the Medically Oriented Gym in South Portland, offering settings where Parkinson's patients can exercise in a supervised setting.

Sometimes the simplest approaches to healing yield the best, and least expensive, results.

Sometimes, although we may feel that we are stranded in the darkness, we need only go back to basics, to find that we know where we are.

Dr. Kenneth Nye always knew where he was. He knew that he was meant to engage fully during each of the seven decades he was given to live.

He also knew that in his twilight years, he was on the trail that would finally lead him home.

 

twilight

March 2013

Hear our interview with Dr. James Cavanaugh and Jacalyn Morrill of the Medically Oriented Gym this Sunday on the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour & Podcast. Download the podcast through iTunes.

Art, Wellness & the Road Less Travelled

Do you regret taking the 'road less travelled?'

I asked this question of an attorney/photographer during a recent conversation about his art, and the trials and tribulations entailed in his decision to commit his energy to two seemingly separate life endeavors.

He turned the question back on me.

He asked whether I had regrets about pursuing a path of medicine that diverged from the mainstream; whether I regret the decision to write and create a radio show.

I have no regrets.

Nor does he.

Following an untravelled path can be lonely. It can cause raised eyebrows, and a certain exasperation from those who do not understand its necessity.

It is, however, not always a choice.

Like having blond hair, or musical ability, we are born with a certain set of characteristics and talents.

Our ultimate navigation of the world is then shaped by our upbringing.

We may have the intellectual aptitude for professional pursuits, such as medicine and law, and simultaneously find ourselves drawn to artistic pursuits, such as photography and writing.

Our decision to move in one direction or the other is typically influenced by our parents, our friends and community.

But our underlying artistic predilection rarely recedes.

It merely remains dormant, until we can no longer ignore its insistent presence.

And we follow it down the path.

For some of us, like my photographer friend Jack Montgomery, the journey begins later in life.

For others, the journey began at birth.

But it rarely matters when we began: only that we have.

It matters more that once we have embarked, we do not regret our choice.

 

Listen to Dr. Lisa's conversation with photographer Jack Montgomery, and Art Collector Maine artist Abbie Williams, this Sunday on the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour & Podcast.

Schedule an office consult with Dr. Lisa at 207 774 2196.

Peacemakers & Presidents Day

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God."

These words, from the Gospel of Matthew, came from the Sermon on the Mount.

Part of the 'beatitudes,' they represent the commentary of Jesus upon groups of people who might not consider themselves blessed: the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek.

The list goes on.

Why did one of the world's great spiritual leaders need to suggest that peacemaking was a noble enterprise?

Because the reward of peacemaking does not often come in one's own lifetime. I am reminded of this today, as we celebrate Presidents Day: a commemoration of our country's leaders, many of whom sought peace for our nation.

Many peacemakers, presidential or otherwise, find little in the way of immediate life satisfaction.

Some peacemaking lives are, in fact, cut short by those who do not appreciate the type of peace that they are attempting to manifest. Lincoln, JFK and others come to mind.

We all, whether we may realize it or not, resist ideas that seem foreign to us.

Some of us resist it so strongly that we feel called to violence.

Peacemakers often represent unpopular views. They are considered rebellious and dangerous. 

They bear the brunt of ridicule.

They are called weak, unrealistic and naive.

Yet without them, and their sacrifices, we would not see social change.

Without the peacemakers, we would not be inspired to seek peace within our own lives and within our culture.

The peacemakers remind us that peace is not passivity. It is not conflict avoidance.

It is not pretending that all is well.

Peacemaking is a conscious decision to pursue ideals for the greater good.

It is a decision to exercise compassion and love for humanity.

Even when exercising compassion and love causes personal strife.

On the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour & Podcast last Sunday, I interviewed psychologist Dr. Ross Greene, who works collaboratively with children who have been cast aside as troublemakers.

He champions a disenfranchised group, rather than see them sent to juvenile detention or jail.

His approach has called for great fortitude and patience.  

A true peacemaker, he.

I was struck by his willingness to engage with those who others consider difficult. This is the ultimate love of fellow man.

Blessed are the peacemakers.

One day, perhaps not in their lifetimes, they will be called children of God.

Chichen Itza, Mexico

November 2012

To listen to Dr. Lisa's interview with Dr. Greene, download the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour & Podcast through iTunes.

 

On Neighbors & Faith, Restored

Yesterday I wrote a blog post about people who cross boundaries, and cause fear. Specifically I recounted how sharing my stories via blog and social media has lead to being inappropriately, and repeatedly, contacted by people who send threatening, angry words my way.

I attached the post to Facebook and went on a mid-day run.

Less than a mile into my run, a neighbor stopped me. She wanted to share her story.

A funny turn of events, given that I had just blogged about the potential downside of sharing stories. Here, "in the flesh," was the upside.

It was as if some higher power had sent her my way.

My neighbor told me about her husband's death of a malignant blood disorder, a little more than a year ago.

She told me about his 33-year affiliation with a local fire department, and of their 42 year marriage.

She told me about the tears she cries at night, widowed far too young.

But mostly, she described the love of her children, her grand-children, her great grand-children and her community. She described her pride in raising $18,000 in one day, through a run/walk organized by her grandson in her husband's memory. This money will all be donated to charity.

My neighbor described her deep, abiding faith. Faith in her God, and that despite the pain and trials of the past few years, all was as it was meant to be.

In sharing her story, she restored my own faith. Faith that my own God has me doing exactly what I am meant to be doing.

My neighbor and I hugged before continuing our separate ways. I've never hugged her before, though I've known her for many years. 

This was a boundary I did not mind crossing.

Grateful am I to those who share stories, and to be one who (still) does so herself.

 

 

Town Landing

October 2012

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