Safety Net Stories

These stories, often contributed by readers and workshop participants, express how personal safety nets and care share teams have made a difference in their lives.

A Legacy of Hope

Image for visual representation of this story

"To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy."
- Jim Valvano

The Heart of Life

A healthy heart is one that helps you live better, live longer, and do more for yourself and those around you. If I don't take care of it, who will? Are my loved ones ready to deal with the consequences of my unhealthy heart?

The Beatles Were Right!

Research shows that the Beatles got it right many years ago - when they sang,"I get by with a little help from my friends".

Another holiday season arrives and you wander through store aisles, selecting "stuff" for others, as well as yourself - placing all in your cart. Did you ever think that your shopping journey reflects your personal journey, and it's time to take stock?

Using Humor to Get Your Game Back

Here's a question we received from one of our readers, struggling with trying to use the core values presented in our book. Discover how he used humor to not only renew his golf game, but improve other parts of his life as well.

Home: The Street You Live On

One of my neighbors who I didn't know very well told me he wanted to give me something. Then, the thing he said that so surprised me was, " I just wanted you to know that you're about the best neighbor I've ever had." I was saddened that my small helpful deeds seemed to him the most generous gestures anyone had ever made toward him.

Tony Finds Ways to Help Others

For years, Tony had been trying to get his business to run predictably, but the challenges kept him from making a profit. A breakthrough came when one of Tony's respected associates suggested he call together several other finance savvy people to brainstorm ideas for confronting business challenges.

How Eileen's Care-Share Team pulled together

Eileen wanted and needed to get out of an abusive relationship. Her good friend offered to weave together a team. She was overwhelmed with the generosity, and it gave her strength to get through the day. When her family called from the Midwest, she could truly say that she had a lot of support.

I don't want stress - I want solutions!

Keith and his wife, Heather, were expecting a baby. What they weren't expecting was that Heather would need to stay in bed for half of the pregnancy. Each of them ran a successful business. The stresses on daily routines, health concerns and financial worries were keeping both up at night. Read more...

Bruce finds support in the Big Apple

Bruce lives in New York, and when he read Personal Safety Nets®, he realized that his Care-share network was not in New York, but on the West Coast. Then he received a flier under his apartment door which changed everything.

Share your Story

Help others by sharing your own experience dealing with the unexpected. What worked well? What didn't work at all? We'd like to publish real stories of real people with your actual photo. If you wish to be anonymous, please include this request in your submission. See Terms & Conditions.

Tell us your story

Looking for a story in the book?

Our book contains dozens of stories ranging on topics from dealing with family issues to sudden job loss to aging creatively. Readers often tell us how handy it is, so we've created an easy-to-print Story Index for our readers. Grab a copy to go with your book!

Download the Story Index