17 Embracing Inspiration and Optimism

“Each New Day, A New Page: Embracing Optimism While Living with Alzheimer’s”

📝 Show Notes for Episode 17: Embracing Inspiration and Optimism

In this heartfelt episode, Janna, an Alzheimer's thriver, and her husband Larry share an intimate anniversary conversation that turns into something truly profound. Through reflections on memory, environment, and emotional overwhelm, Janna reveals a powerful epiphany she received in a dream: that each new day is a page in the continuing story of her life.

No longer focused on what she has lost, Janna is choosing to embrace what she still can do—with joy, humor, and clarity. The episode touches on:
- How sound and sensory overload affect Alzheimer's communication
- A breakthrough with nighttime muscle cramps (thanks to a new salt supplement!)
- The creative process of reframing daily life as an evolving story
- The difference between passive acceptance and active embracing of one’s reality
- Living with intention, purpose, and spiritual awareness in Alzheimer’s

This episode is a celebration of resilience, love, and the human spirit’s ability to reframe challenge into creativity.

🔗 Resources & Related Studies

- Sense of Purpose & Lower Dementia Risk – NIH/PMC: 

- Purpose and Brain Health – Rush University: 

- Fewer Behavioral Symptoms with Greater Life Purpose – Taylor & Francis: 

- Positive Psychology in Cognitive Decline

- Narrative Identity & Life Story Tools – Springer:

- Reminiscence Therapy in Dementia – PMC Review: 

- Daily Meaningful Activities for Alzheimer’s – Dementia UK: 

- Art & Identity – “I Remember Better When I Paint” Documentary: https://www.irememberbetterwhenipaint.com/

🌐 Visit Us

For more stories and ways to stay connected, visit:

https://www.alzheimersthriver.org

Be sure to go to our website at alzheimersthriver.org to learn more about Larry and Janna's adventures.

Transcript

Episode 17: Embracing Inspiration and Optimism

[Janna Opens With the flute]

Janna: Hi, I'm Janna, and I'm an Alzheimer's Thriver. These are words from the horse's mouth. 

Larry: And this is her husband, Larry. And today, Janna is going to be talking about her inspiration and her optimism. 

[A little more flute]

Larry: Well, good morning, Jan. 

Janna: Hello, I'm doing great.

Larry: Yeah, me too. We had our anniversary yesterday. I wish I could say that I had remembered it before that day.

Janna: But it was a surprise to me. 

Larry: Okay, so 48 years ...48 years of marriage... So, we went over to Balboa Park at the Cafe Del Rey Moro, which is now the Prado in San Diego. And I was hoping that that would trigger some feelings because we got married there. We sat down to have dinner at the patio. What were your feelings? What were you going through at that point? 

Janna: You know, it was lovely, but it was also very loud. And I mostly wanted to gather where those particular locations on the Prado were and be in that situation. It was hard to pull it up with all the background music. 

Larry: Coming from the organ pavilion.

Janna: What was that called? 

Larry: I'm not going to say that style because I might offend people. 

Janna: But yeah, so, and then there was commotion around us. I'm going to say it because that doesn't bother me. It was “bideco.” What is it called? 

Larry: “Zydeco.” 

Janna: “Zydeco.”  And it's great. 

Larry: Normally we like it, yeah. 

Janna: It's great, but when you're having a conversation and you have Alzheimer's and you start to say something and then some loud noise comes in, which is meant to give you a lot of energy, and it does, but to me it just closes me up. So, I can't think what to say. 

Larry: And the commotion of the plates and spoons rattling, and the waitress coming over, and people talking... 

Janna: And we had a few days in a row where we had interactions with people in noisy places. And I was maybe burned out from that. It's not because I'm not social. It's because I can't just speak freely.

Larry: Yeah, you listen to things, right? And the oral stuff really can throw you? Is that what you were telling me? 

Janna: Well, I really get into it. But it's hard to speak quickly enough for myself to get a word in because I can't get into that word that's on my mind as fast as the next person. They don't even realize I'm waiting to talk.

Larry: Yeah, and the music was pretty loud. So, you told me, “let's just go.” And I was like, okay, this is our anniversary, but okay, let's just get up and go. So, I gave the waitress 20 bucks and said, sorry, we can't stay. And then we took off. We went down to where we had sealed the wedding with our kiss and down by the well. 

Janna: Very romantical. 

Larry: So that was nice. That kind of brought us out of it. And we decided to go home and make our own dinner. 

Janna: Yeah.

Larry: And when we got home, you said, oh, now this sound I like. And it was the sound of silence. 

Janna: Oh, yeah. And it depends. On any given day, I could have some noise going along the way. But not just over and over and over. I need a reprieve. 

Larry: And so last night went well. After that, we went to bed eventually. And before we went to bed, you tried something new. Do you remember taking the salt stick chewable?

Janna: Oh, that's so cool. I have been waking up every night early in the middle of the night with having terrible cramps. And I drink lots of water. And I don't know. I think, well, what can I do? I'm doing everything I'm supposed to do. And then Larry told me about, what was that thing?

Larry:  It was the salt stick. That's the brand of the chewable. 

Janna: It's to die for.

Larry: Yeah. So, this has been two nights now that you haven't had cramps, like at four in the morning or something like that. 

Janna: Right. And it's a done deal. It's like it's been fixed. And it's been at least a year.

Larry: And then you were telling me something happened. You received some inspirations when you were dreaming. It was so vivid. Tell me about that. 

Janna: Well, I thought about, I think about writing. Yeah.

Larry: So, you can't read, or you don't read, and you don't write. But you got an inspiration, an epiphany about that through a dream. What was that? 

Janna: I used to write. I used to write books. And it was easy for me. And it flowed off my, what's it called, what you write on? My fingertips.

Larry: Okay. Shameless plug. You wrote a book, Quadruplets, of Love Story, about your having quads. Okay. Go ahead. 

Janna: And it went over very well, you know. And I wrote it, but about halfway through I had to start just dictating it. 

Larry: Yeah. 

Janna: Because I couldn't get stuff on the page fast enough. And when it came time to publish, the statement at the end of my mind was, “and now I have to figure out what's going on with my brain.” Well, of course, now I know what is going on with my brain. Not literally as much as I wish it had gone.

Larry: So, what inspiration did you get? 

Janna: Like an author crafting her story. Each new day is like a page in the story. 

Larry: That sounds like a lot of fun. That's a great epiphany, Jan. Why don't you keep going on that? What else? 

Janna: I can decide what I'm going to put on the page. And I have choices about how I'm going to proceed.Though I may not be writing a book that others could see, every day I'm writing the story through my words and my actions. 

Larry: It's like you're in control of the narrative and deciding what's going to be happening. 

Janna: Yep. I can choose to be optimistic as I roll out a narrative that is a joy to live out in that story. I'm like my own coach, living a venue of what I can do rather than one that I can't do. 

Larry: So, what exactly is the process? You get up and you look at the day and you just decide, I'm going to write another page in the story. And then? 

Janna: I need to consider, what are the possibilities? 

Larry: Sounds like you're an author again and that you've done a workaround, some way that you can continue to be creative.

Janna: I can choose what to do for this day. And I go about writing my story.

Larry: When we got up this morning, this epiphany was life changing. I mean, you were happy, and it seemed inspired. You said it's not going to be the same old new day ...that in your dream you got a clear message that you don't have to write a book, physically write a book, but that each day was a book being written itself.

Janna: Yep. And I'm determined to be proactive. I'm embracing optimism. And I embrace that and gnaw on it rather than thinking, what can't I do? Let's go forward and not think I'm missing anything. No, I'm not missing anything. 

Larry: Yeah. So, this idea of embracing, is that more than just accepting a situation? It's more like... 

Janna: Look for the positive. Embracing the positive, recognizing it first, to start with, and embracing it and going, yeah, this is good. Look what I've got. 

Larry: This is a thing you woke up with. 

Janna:  I kind of sensed that the Lord is giving me extra opportunities to get storylines.

Larry: Well, I don't know if this is more for the people out there in podcast land, or if this is for me, but that's pretty inspiring. I can't think of a better way to embrace inspiration and optimism for each day than just thinking about ...each new day, is a new story -  It's a new page in a book. And I'm not going to do the same old stuff. Really, really good stuff, Janna. I think that gives us plenty to gnaw on. Do you want to leave it there? 

Janna: Yep. In summary, my epiphany and hope for you guys is that you will embrace the positive.

That we will embrace the things that we can still do. And, hey guys, be sure to check out... 

Larry: Our website? 

Janna: Yep, our website. That's it.

Larry: We've got a lot of stuff on there. And that would be alzheimersthriver.org And until next time, we're so glad that we could be with you guys. It was fun being with you, Jan. And happy anniversary. 

Janna: Happy anniversary to you, cutie pie. I mean, hunk-a hunk-a.

Larry: Alright, until next time...

Janna: This is Janna, an Alzheimer's Thriver. And you've been hearing words from the horse's mouth.

 Link to study on topic:

Meaning in Life & Lower Dementia Risk – Broad Review