229: a second life

With so much debate about the merits (or otherwise) of 'virtual' second lives these days, it was refreshing to find this story about an American man who is living a kind of second real life right now. I found the tale in Reader's Digest, which I just discovered runs a series called 'inspiring true stories'. Worth a browse if you are in need of some additional inspiration - after reading RTBH of course! Anyway, the article linked above is about a doctor who was distraught after losing his wife a little over seven years ago, and felt his life had lost all meaning. However, after 9/11 he made a snap decision to go to Afghanistan. He joined International Medical Corps and went - and hasn't looked back since. He's worked in clinics in the wake of many recent disasters around the world, giving him a renewed sense of purpose. And the severe depression he suffered previously has lifted. It really is inspiring, that someone can bring relief to so many and mend themselves at the same time... (Photo from Reader's Digest.)

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STOP PRESS: I just found out that Reasons to be Hopeful is 'Blog of the Day' today, on the 2008 Weblog Awards! How exciting! Thank you, Blog of the Day... :-) E