Dr. Ellen Langer

Well, Roger Brown, when he was alive, gave me this stuffed parrot that was in a cage. Oh, my. Okay. As a kid who owned parrots, I was like frightened for a moment. Couldn't save the parrot. Okay. So now I stay at a friend's house. And the next day I call the insurance company. And the person comes over.

Well, Roger Brown, when he was alive, gave me this stuffed parrot that was in a cage. Oh, my. Okay. As a kid who owned parrots, I was like frightened for a moment. Couldn't save the parrot. Okay. So now I stay at a friend's house. And the next day I call the insurance company. And the person comes over.

Well, Roger Brown, when he was alive, gave me this stuffed parrot that was in a cage. Oh, my. Okay. As a kid who owned parrots, I was like frightened for a moment. Couldn't save the parrot. Okay. So now I stay at a friend's house. And the next day I call the insurance company. And the person comes over.

And he said this was the first time in his 20-year career that the damage was worse than the call. Most people, oh my God, oh my God, it's not so bad. Here, I had already lost everything, so it didn't make sense to throw my sanity away after it. Okay, so that was the first thing. I move into the Charles Hotel, and I'm a sight to be seen with my two little dogs.

And he said this was the first time in his 20-year career that the damage was worse than the call. Most people, oh my God, oh my God, it's not so bad. Here, I had already lost everything, so it didn't make sense to throw my sanity away after it. Okay, so that was the first thing. I move into the Charles Hotel, and I'm a sight to be seen with my two little dogs.

And he said this was the first time in his 20-year career that the damage was worse than the call. Most people, oh my God, oh my God, it's not so bad. Here, I had already lost everything, so it didn't make sense to throw my sanity away after it. Okay, so that was the first thing. I move into the Charles Hotel, and I'm a sight to be seen with my two little dogs.

And it's Christmas, all the presents coming in, you know, we're burned, all the ones going out. It's now Christmas Eve and I go out for dinner and I come back to the hotel room and it's full of gifts. Not from the owner of the hotel, not from the management, but from the so-called little people. the chambermaids, the people who parked my car, the waiters and waitresses.

And it's Christmas, all the presents coming in, you know, we're burned, all the ones going out. It's now Christmas Eve and I go out for dinner and I come back to the hotel room and it's full of gifts. Not from the owner of the hotel, not from the management, but from the so-called little people. the chambermaids, the people who parked my car, the waiters and waitresses.

And it's Christmas, all the presents coming in, you know, we're burned, all the ones going out. It's now Christmas Eve and I go out for dinner and I come back to the hotel room and it's full of gifts. Not from the owner of the hotel, not from the management, but from the so-called little people. the chambermaids, the people who parked my car, the waiters and waitresses.

Andrew, I tell you, I could not tell that story for months, maybe years, without it bringing tears to my eyes. It was beautiful. Every Christmas I'm reminded about what feels to me the basic goodness of people. And I couldn't tell you except for one thing what I lost in that fire. So, you know. One stuffed parrot. No, no, that I don't remember that until right now. No, it was kind of fun.

Andrew, I tell you, I could not tell that story for months, maybe years, without it bringing tears to my eyes. It was beautiful. Every Christmas I'm reminded about what feels to me the basic goodness of people. And I couldn't tell you except for one thing what I lost in that fire. So, you know. One stuffed parrot. No, no, that I don't remember that until right now. No, it was kind of fun.

Andrew, I tell you, I could not tell that story for months, maybe years, without it bringing tears to my eyes. It was beautiful. Every Christmas I'm reminded about what feels to me the basic goodness of people. And I couldn't tell you except for one thing what I lost in that fire. So, you know. One stuffed parrot. No, no, that I don't remember that until right now. No, it was kind of fun.

I was teaching, going to be teaching, you know, as soon as school began again, a large lecture class and all my notes were burned. And so, oh, my God, what am I going to do? And so what I did was I called a student who got an A in the course the year before, borrowed her notes and omitted those and taught the course.

I was teaching, going to be teaching, you know, as soon as school began again, a large lecture class and all my notes were burned. And so, oh, my God, what am I going to do? And so what I did was I called a student who got an A in the course the year before, borrowed her notes and omitted those and taught the course.

I was teaching, going to be teaching, you know, as soon as school began again, a large lecture class and all my notes were burned. And so, oh, my God, what am I going to do? And so what I did was I called a student who got an A in the course the year before, borrowed her notes and omitted those and taught the course.

And it was the best course I ever taught because I was not relying on anything that I would then repeat in any absolute – I was totally there.

And it was the best course I ever taught because I was not relying on anything that I would then repeat in any absolute – I was totally there.

And it was the best course I ever taught because I was not relying on anything that I would then repeat in any absolute – I was totally there.

No, no. I don't think that they necessarily are. I think that if something happens – You should take advantage of it and learn something from it. And, you know, so there's data, not from my lab or yours, but that people who have heart attacks and you live through a heart attack or a stroke, all of a sudden you realize, gee, this is not going to go on forever. I've got to start living.

No, no. I don't think that they necessarily are. I think that if something happens – You should take advantage of it and learn something from it. And, you know, so there's data, not from my lab or yours, but that people who have heart attacks and you live through a heart attack or a stroke, all of a sudden you realize, gee, this is not going to go on forever. I've got to start living.