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The PAUL H. (ZEN) STORY

HOW I SEE THE 
ZEN HOSPICE VOLUNTEERS at
LAGUNA HONDA HOSPITAL
by PAUL H. 
RESIDENT 
LAGUNA HONDA HOSPITAL 

---Then Geoff said about 4 or 5 paragraphs! Still, I heard myself answer, ''Yes! That should be no problem.'' I think that the gift of naivete may be my greatest gift. At least I have that going for me. And...NOT to be taken lightly is the Zen Volunteers ability to understand and forgive. Above and beyond everything...we have honesty. I've noticed that The Zen Volunteers and myself do aspire to honesty.

---I have been involved with Laguna Honda Hospital since June 20, 2002. Until then, I had barely heard the name and knew nothing at all about it. I had a stroke on June 2, 2002 and had been in SFGH for about three weeks. Now I was at Laguna Honda Hospital for Rehabilitation.

---I'm going to rewind a bit here. I had had a life changing realization in October of 1976. I very viably realized that ''Life and Living Is All About Love.'' I heard those words before from my Catholic upbringing...but, this night I heard everything, differently. The nutshell version is that I went from ACCEPTING that statement to be true, with every bit of blind faith imaginable, to UNDERSTANDING in October of 1976 what that may, actually, mean. It went from just ACCEPTING to NOW, ALSO, UNDERSTANDING what LOVE (to an extent) IS. The word APPRECIATION (of existence) was NOW a brand new animal.

---To backpedal a bit further...my birth in 1951, left me missing four fingers on my left-hand. I was, also, born with a heart murmur that would, probably, need an operation by age five. Long-story-short,
I didn't get the operation, but was psychologically imprisoned by my hand. Long-Story-Short...again, I learned that self-acceptance was in fact the life changer I received in 1976 and how self-acceptance makes a huge difference in one's life. The more one is in denial, the greater the revelation needed to get back to the zero point. I went through many, many situations to get to where I am today. I see self-acceptance to be much akin to Christ's death on the cross, Buddha's enlightenment, rebirth, attaining Krishna consciousness and/or the change that most religions speak of. It is the going from a selfish (unresurrected) to a more selfless (resurrected) self.

---To me....the Zen Volunteers provide what I see as one of the most necessary 'cogs in the wheel' at Laguna Honda. They seem to be one of the much needed psychological reset buttons (to life and living) we have for the residents. I was president of the Residents' Council from 2004 - 08. I went to many staff meetings. My recommendation, before I knew anything about the Zen Hospice Project at LHH, described a big part of what the Zen Volunteers do. Because of their friendships with the residents, the Zen Volunteers are great sounding boards...helping those residents who need it (which includes almost everyone) to see life more realistically and to get back to the zero point in their lives. Through this friendship they are able to help some of the residents who partake in the presence of the volunteers, be more accepting of their plight and why they are residents at LHH in the first place.

---On a very necessary level, the Zen Volunteers are a bunch of astute individuals ...with their feet planted firmly on the ground who sit and talk with the patients at the hospital. Their basic motto seems to be to listen to the resident and provide what is within their abilities to provide as to what they find necessary to provide that enhances the life of the resident.  Most often it's a much needed friendship in the patients hour of need. In some cases they bring a certain order to a much chaotic viewpoint that some of residents have. I, personally, wish the project was hospital-wide as most of the patients at LHH could/would benefit from their interaction.  I consider myself to be very fortunate to have a friendship of sorts with many of the Zen Volunteers who come to Laguna Honda Hospital. Be Well.

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle Audiobook complete, unabridged David...

PATIENT HAPPINESS + UPDATE

---According to ALL the literature…it ALL points to one thing, ‘’the happier the resident, the better his physical body responds to getting better.’’ Some doctors are even linking that what is wrong with the patient, can be found to have its roots in the psyche. Clearing up the root cause of the unhappiness usually unblocks the cause for the illness. What is wrong in the thinking can be affecting the body in a negative way and be responsible for the condition it’s in. We see that the way a person thinks has much to do with the way he feels.

---This ALL translates into a ‘’happy patient results in a better recovery.’’ We have on the other-side…a more negative response to life making it more difficult to recover. Misery loves company.

---Thinking positive thoughts and the positive affect they have on the body has been known for a very longtime. Confucius even had a quote along those lines thousands of years ago.

---It is important to tell the truth to yourself. The benefits are well worth it. Sometimes the thoughts that we have are pretty negative. That is why it is good to have someone to talk to…to get things off of our chests. We can have two negative people get together at times and realize that the ‘’bond’’ they have created can be very positive. Two negatives can make a positive - and this works in human behavior, also.

---Keep your thoughts positive and you do yourself a favor. If you listen to your body or other nay sayers you may be dragged into the swamps of how your body feels. Honestly...think good thoughts and of good times and you will be doing yourself a world of good. Take Care.

---I would, also, like to add that this applies to a more rapid turnover at the hospital, itself. If folks are made well, sooner...they are more ready to move on to their next step in life (whatever that may be.)

Patient Happiness (update)
written 4/1/17

---Happiness is still the attitude we hope for a patient. The happier that he or she is plays in a big way in favor of healing. If he or she is very receptive + accepting of the whole getting well process…then the whole hospital stay will undoubtedly go smoother.

---As we have stated in the past it is essential for the patient to feel that he has been heard in his life and has been taken seriously. Though this situation is something that applies to all of us…this has direct ramifications to the underserved population. It seems that people are Laguna Honda patients directy depending on how much they have been heard or taken seriously in there life. Through lack of encouragement at proper times or being given the respect deserved and needed by all children there seems a certain amount of folks that appear as lost soul (never to have been heardand/or taken seriously.) Achievement and accomplishment tends to be low. They spend a lot of time trying not to come across as dysfunctional. They find they easily get addicted or use things to excess that end up being detrimental to well-being...eventually. 

---It, also, has been made clear to me that the benefits of having a GROWTH MINDSET is far and away better than the FIXED MINDSET many of the underserved population contend with. One realizes that there is more to life than being a couch potato. There is more going on than just worrying if someone will find out that you don’t know very much. You will, actually, know things. One feels part of things as opposed to feeling excluded from things. One learns how to learn things as opposed to avoid most things that may show the world just how inept you actually feel and believe that you are.

A QUESTION TO ASK YOURSELF!

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CHARLOTTE JOKO BECK - ABOUT BUDDHA

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DALAI LAMA: NON - JUDGMENTAL!

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HOW TO FEEL LOVED!

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EUREKA MOMENTs - STEPHEN HAWKING, ETC.

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