[img]560|left|Nicholas D. Pollak||no_popup[/img]It is a matter of keeping busy, keeping the thoughts away. You know what I mean. Those thoughts that arise, when you have nothing to do.

The thoughts that tear you down, belittle you, remind you of the past, depress you, make you feel useless, out of touch with no one understanding you or your problems.

These thoughts are dangerously close to spiraling out of control. But when you are busy with things to do each day, you feel the antithesis of all those thoughts.

The attitude is different. Your step is lighter, your thoughts clearer, happier.

The Path to a Good Life

I met a 73-year-old woman today who had issues she felt needed to be addressed. Her attitude toward life was fascinating, too.

She will help any friend or acquaintance at the drop of a hat.

An energetic volunteer, she is involved with local community affairs. Adhering to a proper diet, she radiates good health, warmth, curiosity and an analytical eye.

A Jew who was born and raised in Baghdad, she was 11 when she left with her parents in 1948 when tensions with the majority Arab community were increasing. With help from the American government they were able to immigrate to California.

Her neat, well-ordered mind and a trait for figures led to a very successful accounting career. I could also see that in her day and to some extent now, she was and is a ruthless negotiator.

Her story reminded me of an 83-year-old woman with a similar history. Also Jewish, she was forced to flee the Nazis in 1938, just before Hitler mandated that all Jews have a large “J” stamped on their passports. Her passport identified her as Aryan, allowing her to leave Germany freely.

They Make a Deal

When her parents were taken to the concentration camps, she opted to stay out of Germany and began working as a governess for an Italian family who knew of her background. The family said they would help her but that she must attend church with them every week and not mention that she was Jewish.

She agreed to this until 1940, when with this family’s help she was able to leave Italy and travel to England, where she stayed until she died 10 years ago.

In England she met her husband, a 19-year-old Czech, who also was fleeing the Nazis. His parents also were taken to the camps.

He flew for the RAF Coastal Command, as, a signaler, in Liberator bombers. The bombers were charged with destroying German submarines off the north coast of Scotland.

He survived the war, married his German bride and returned with her to his native Prague. Here he gained ownership in a factory, and his wife gave birth to the first of their two sons.

In 1948, they again had to flee all that they had begun to build, as a result of a communist takeover of his country. They were welcomed to England, where, as I said, they lived until they died.

They had many challenges through their lives, and all of these people had the same things in common.

Understanding.

Treating others as they would like to be treated.

Knowing that life is transient, fragile and filled with pain, loss, love and laughing.

Knowing that everything changes.

Enjoying what they have while they have it, as they may not have it for long.

Learning to be inquisitive, and asking questions of others.

Making others glad to have met you.

Sharing your time, your skills with others who may learn from what you know.

Using your wits, your skills and your sharp mind to know what you want and to create a path to gain it.

Working the path.

Stowing the attitude, doing the work.

Action not words.

Realizing that the quality of happiness is dependent upon the quality of one’s thoughts.

Appreciating life daily because of the difficult earlier lives they led.

Having survived one of the brutal eras in human history, they accepted the fragility of life while stubbornly maintaining their full tank of zest and the desire to help others.

For us? Our times are different but just as challenging.

Does it help to know that our lives are easier than some., harder than others.

So what will the story of our lives and how we lived them be?

A clinical hypnotherapist, handwriting analyst and expert master hypnotist, Nicholas Pollak may be contacted at nickpollak@hypnotherapy4you.net