The Silver Lining
Most people would agree that a heart
attack is a terrible thing. And it certainly is, as it might kill you
and if it doesn't it will change your life significantly. But in
Lerher's case in his book A Bus of My Own, some of the changes were
for the better.
The first thing he did when he woke up
was to make lists and organize his life, which certainly is a good
thing. Anyone can benefit from a little more organization and
coherence. He decided that he needed to pursue his ambition of
writing fiction more avidly, and he also resolved to be more serious
about his collection of bus memorabilia.
Another change that might be seen as
not very enjoyable, but certainly beneficial, is the change in his
diet. His former diet consisted solely of comfort foods and fast
food, which was probably a proponent in his heart attack in the first
place. He had to change his diet to far more healthy foods, which he
did not enjoy eating quite so much but it probably improved his
overall health in the long run.
Before his heart attack, he was a
heavy smoker. In fact he described it as being an important aspect of
his life, and after his heart attack he never smoked again. Luckily
this was not a reluctant change; it simply never crossed his mind
once during or after his recovery and what was once a main ritual in
his daily life just faded away. This was clearly a good thing.
A heart attack is a very bad thing,
and changes are not always good, but these three things certainly
changed Lerher's life for the better.
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