One of our nation’s exploding epidemics is ILS…Irritable Life Syndrome. It comes in many forms to men and women of all ages. It’s symptoms are frequent outbursts of irrational anger directed at drivers, politicians, or random individuals who have failed to respond quickly and in a satisfactory manner.
Now, while the CDC has not approved a single vaccine for this condition, nor has Big Pharma suggested a cure, I have compiled a short list of antidotes to mitigate this tragic malignancy.
- Recognize that you can’t change ‘yesterday’ – The aphorism ‘there’s no use crying over spilt milk’ is true. Whatever your parents or siblings or employer did earlier in your life is no longer relevant and fussing over it is non-productive. Begin anew…only today matters. Face it with a positive attitude.
- Savor the world’s beauty – If you can travel…do it! If you can’t…Google it. There are magic places to see, magic people to meet. Explore Banff, Ushuaia, or Interlochen. Sense the beauty of Iguassu, the Galapagos or the Pyramids. Their uniqueness can be as close as your computer.
- Reach out – Talk to a teenager. They’re an alien species. And, when I say ‘talk,’ I mean listen. If you are a senior, talk to a 30-year old. If you are a 30-year old, talk to a senior. Their life experiences are different than yours. Understand how they coped…or plan to cope, with unexpected opportunities or adversity.
- Discover yesterday’s humor – Read something by Ogden Nash or James Thurber. Laugh at the musings of George Carlin.
- Read or listen to a new poem every week – Discover Carl Sandburg, Robert Frost or Maya Angelou.
- Discover a new artist once a month. Study Degas or Raphael, perhaps Rodin or Jackson Pollack. Listen to music by Chopin, Rimsky-Korsakov, or Benny Goodman. Sip a glass of wine while listening to the inventive lyrics of Cole Porter sung by Ella Fitzgerald.
- Discover a new neighborhood – Walk or drive to a different part of the city. Large cities offer a plethora of cultural enclaves that offer a unique charm.
- Try a new ethnic food once a month. Ever taste Albanian food or Vietnamese? How about Egyptian or Mongolian? Hard to find? Not really…Google and Uber are at your disposal.
- Develop your empathy. Walk in someone else’s shoes. Try and understand how difficult it is to live with a permanent illness and still smile. Try and understand why someone might walk a thousand miles to a foreign country in hopes of a better life. Seek out someone with an addiction they are unable to control. Develop friends of different races or religions, different sexual and gender identities. Savor their different life experiences. Their stories can enrich your life.
- Take a deep breath and smile – The world will proceed in its own orbit whether you smile or frown, laugh or scowl. Recognize that you, and you alone, are in control of how you live this one-time journey through life.
