Amanda Lamb: What you see...

I had a lot of time to read on my recent vacation, and I found myself connecting with words in a way that I had not been able to do when my life was so frenetic. I was reminded of a quote from the poet and philosopher Henry David Thoreau: “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” I’ve read this quote many times, and what I think it means is that we all perceive things differently based on our life experiences. I can see something and interpret it in a very different way than you do.

I started thinking how my guests on AGELESS see things differently based on their circumstances. Brenna Crowson is an author, a paralegal, a yoga teacher, and an international speaker on fitness and health. Her life was irrevocably changed when she lost her adult son unexpectedly after a minor surgery. She now uses her platform to speak and write about healing from her family’s tremendous loss.

“We all will find ourselves grieving over the loss of a loved one at some point in our life. Absolutely. That's part of life. And at that point, there's really no companion necessarily to help you know how to grieve, whether you expect it or you don't, you just have to go through it,” Brenna said in our interview.

Brenna chose to look at her grief not as an obstacle, but as something she could use to help other people who may be experiencing something similar.

Mary Angelini also experienced something unexpected when her daughter Gabi was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. Mary and her family made the choice to look at Gabi like any other member of their family — not as someone with a disability. Mary and Gabi now run a nonprofit which employs people with different abilities called “Gabi’s Powered by Special Abilities.” It is a full-scale packaging, labeling, and shipping company. Mary says the company has changed many lives.

“And the parents come in crying all the time, [saying] you have no idea how you've changed my child's life. They were just sitting on the couch with nothing to do, and now they come to work, they have a purpose, they go out to lunch, they have friends. It's like a family there,” she said.

Like so many of my guests, Brenna and Mary chose to look at their situations in a way that allowed them to help others. I’m in awe of them and all the other women who have agreed to share their journeys with me. I hope you are learning as much from them as I am. Find and follow the show wherever you get your podcasts.