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The Power of Positive Deviance

by Laurel Saville

Liv Fun: Vol 7 – Issue 4

The first time I heard the term “Positive Deviance” was when it was applied to me. No, it was not in reference to any unusual private proclivities. My deviance has to do with the progression of my Parkinson’s disease. Or more accurately, my lack of progression.

Positive is not a feeling one usually associates with a progressive, incurable neurological disorder. I remember how my face flushed and my stomach tightened when a physical therapist suggested my stiffness, cramps and aches might be “neurological” rather than muscular. I recall the numb, hold-my-breath feeling when a doctor said, “I think it’s Parkinson’s” and then apologized for “ruining my day” as he referred me to a specialist.

The tears finally came when a neurologist said she was “quite sure” I had Parkinson’s and began to deluge me with all the medical jargon that comes with disease. In the months following, I was filled with fear of my future.

However, we humans have an incredible ability to adapt, adjust and regain equilibrium after even the most harrowing of experiences. No one would ever wish for an amputated limb or debilitating disease. Yet study after study shows that most people return to a prior level of satisfaction and happiness, no matter how bad their change in fortune. And so it was with me.

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Liv Fun

by Leisure Care
Winter 2018
View Table of Contents

Our Souls
by Tammy Kennon

Exploring the history of the “soul” is a bumpy ride through science, philosophy, art, literature, religion, spirituality, and lots of –isms. Belief about the soul mines the depths of “self” and “other,” mortality and eternal life, and speculation and the certainty of uncertainty.

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The Sound of Silence
by Skye Moody

On a typical afternoon strolling down Broadway, Manhattan’s pulsating streets radiate a cacophony of sounds that invade my ears. Unlike the three out of five passersby whose ears are budded against the clamor, tuned in to whatever sounds charm their senses, I opt to “be here now.”

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The Power of Positive Deviance
by Laurel Saville

The first time I heard the term “Positive Deviance” was when it was applied to me. No, it was not in reference to any unusual private proclivities. My deviance has to do with the progression of my Parkinson’s disease. Or more accurately, my lack of progression.

Read More