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Club MED
January 2024
Frankl Helps Us Deal With Hardship His Book Turns Despair Into Hope
On Oct. 7, the terrorist organization Hamas attacked Israel, murdering over 1,200 people, including 40 babies, and kidnapping over 240 civilians. The manner of many of the killings is indescribable. The brutality of the murders mirrors the horrors of the Jewish Holocaust.
circumstances better than others. He saw that those with a future goal and a reason to attain that goal survived — they did not perish.
In the book, he recalled several examples:
How do you process such evil? What meaning can you derive?
Frankl got to know two prisoners who were both contemplating suicide. One had a son who had escaped to another country and was waiting for him. The other was a scientist who had begun writing several books before his internment, and his work was unfinished.
Storytime: I was a typical adolescent in high school with a typically lousy attitude. My parents annoyed me. My brothers annoyed me. Existence was loathsome.
Our English teacher, Mrs. Kaznik, took us to the library for a tour in my sophomore year. I remember the librarian at South High as if it were yesterday. She reminded me of a leprechaun with her smile and twinkling eyes. She showed us the usual librarian things. She then attempted to entice us to read. She presented an assortment of books we might find interesting. She loved books and literature, and you could feel it. One of the books was by Viktor Frankl. She artfully told Frankl’s story. He was a Jewish psychiatrist in Vienna before WWII. The Nazis captured him and his family and shipped them to the death camps. He was in four camps, including Auschwitz and Dachau. Frankl saw his father die from exhaustion, his wife murdered, and his mother and brother eliminated in the camps.
The man with a son longed to be with his son. His desire to eventually be with his son forced him to face his hardship and motivated him to survive. The second imagined the war had ended, and he returned to complete the books he had begun. Both gave up their thoughts of suicide and worked to survive in the death camps. They both found meaning and purpose in their present suffering. Dealing with their momentary suffering enabled them to move toward their goals. Their future goals imbued their present suffering with meaning. They both knew the why for their existence and consequently could bear any how. After months of starvation and harsh treatment in the camp, guards marched Frankl and fellow prisoners to a work site over rough terrain in harsh weather. Frankl recalls his swollen, unclad feet, guards beating them along the way.
With a scientist’s eye, he observed his fellow inmates and himself. Frankl documented his observations and experiences in a journal that he hid away and published after the war — “Man’s Search for Meaning.” Frankl saw patterns in his fellow inmates’ behavior. When they arrived at the camp, they fell into shock, then apathy, and finally despair. Frankl observed that some prisoners coped with their
During the trek, he reflected on his feelings of love for his wife. His mind conjured the feelings of warmth and love she had for him. Frankl’s constant thought became this sensation of love. While others surrendered to circumstance and death, Frankl kept
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Medicare Insurance Made Easy
402-614-3389 • 1
THE BENEFITS OF WHITE NOISE CALM YOUR MIND, BOOST YOUR PRODUCTIVITY:
White noise is commonly used to help people fall asleep, but now, more people are using it to increase their concentration during the workday. By providing a consistent background sound, white noise can mask environmental distractions like chattering, traffic, or intermittent noises that may otherwise disturb concentration. Here are a few benefits of utilizing white noise in your day. CALMING EFFECT White noise, especially calm nature sounds, exerts a soothing effect on the mind, providing a stable auditory environment that reduces sudden distractions. The calming influence can help you feel more positive and enable the mind to transition to a more conducive state for a deeper focus on work or study.
range of activities, making it a versatile tool for enhancing focus.
BOOSTS CONCENTRATION White noise boosts concentration by increasing background neural “noise” in the brain, which helps essential neural signals to stand out and be detected, which can enhance cognitive performance. This can be particularly useful when you need to train your attention while tackling complex problems. ENHANCES CREATIVITY Some studies suggest that moderate white noise can improve creativity and imaginative thinking. It keeps the idea gateway open during the generative process and enables you to think freely and develop novel solutions. Whether you’re studying, working, or engaging in creative endeavors, the benefits of white noise extend to a wide
“In some way, suffering ceases to be suffering the moment it finds a meaning, such as the meaning of a sacrifice. I could not change his fate. I could not revive his wife, but at that moment, I did succeed in changing his attitude toward his unalterable fate, and he could now at least see meaning in his suffering,” he wrote.
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the feelings of his wife before his mind’s eye. Frankl discovered a personal encounter with someone is a powerful source of meaning, and love of all experiences is the highest meaning. Later in his practice, one of Frankl’s patients suffered from extreme depression because of his wife’s death. Frankl asked him what would have happened if he had died first. The patient responded that she would have suffered even more. Frankl told him she was spared the suffering because she went first; consequently, he was suffering in her place. When the patient saw his wife’s death in that new light, he shook Frankl’s hand, thanked him for curing him, and left.
In your stance against suffering, you can find meaning.
Reading that book had a profound effect on my life in 1977. I began my own search for meaning. It ended or began with a profound religious experience during my freshman year of college. My life was unalterably changed from that moment on. I can only imagine how the people directly affected by Oct. 7 are coping. The natural response would be to surrender entirely to hatred and revenge. It seems natural and normal. Hatred and revenge provide meaning and purpose to many, but it doesn’t take a keen thinker to realize the darkness of succumbing to that force. It is the irony of life that one of the great thinkers about life is a member of the tribe that has suffered so much. Viktor Frankl’s journey of suffering and his people offer the world a treasure to cope with the hardship that is the lot of us all.
–Christopher J. Grimmond
2 • OmahaInsuranceSolutions.com
If you are reading this, it means you survived the 2024 Medicare Annual Election Period. Despite all the phone calls, emails, junk mail, and commercials, you didn’t have to check into a mental institution. And if you’re reading this newsletter, it probably means you’re still a client! 2024 was my 12th Medicare Annual Election, and it is incredible how much the Medicare landscape has changed in 11 years. Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans are significantly better than 10 years ago. The application process, service, and richness of the products are superb. Prices of drugs continue to climb for some medications but others have grown cheaper. The new legislation Congress recently passed promises to be favorable for the consumer. It will provide much-needed relief for those on high-dollar drugs. I appreciate your patience as Angie and I analyzed which Part D plan was the most economical for your mix of medications. For those of you on Medicare Advantage plans, the prescription drug part of your plan rarely results in a need to change plans. The standalone Part D prescription drug plans, however, do change quite a bit from year to year. That is why I want to review every Part D plan. I fear that you will wake up on Jan. 1 with a higher cost you didn’t expect, drugs that are no longer covered, and significantly higher drug costs. We ran over 600 prescription drug plans. I am sorry you had to wait so long for a response. I will be hiring another Angie soon because it isn’t possible to clone Angie. Even if I could, it would take mini-Angie 21 years to grow up and join the business. I’ve thought this through. For all those on standalone Part D prescription drug plans, remember that most of you have a $545 deductible, which means you must meet that deductible on your Tier 3, 4, and 5 medications before you get the lower copay. The price you pay in January–March may differ from the price you pay for the rest of the year. Call the customer service phone number on the back of your Part D card for explanations and answers. Unfortunately, every year, we lose clients. They succumb to the temptation to call the 1-800-free stuff. They talk with a licensed insurance agent in Florida, California, or Pakistan. They tell them about some great deal without giving the whole picture. Before they know it, they have verbally signed an application for another Medicare plan with another company by a licensed insurance agent whose name they can’t recall. It’s a sad irony that we get calls from ex-clients asking for help with their Medicare plan. During the discussion, we discover they are no longer clients on the plan we selected together. We can’t even give them the phone CHOOSING MEDICARE PLANS: WE CAN HELP OBSERVATIONS ON ANNUAL ELECTION PERIOD
Max tried out for Santa’s dog sled team but didn’t make the cut. Too heavy. I told him to lay off the treats.
Cheesy Chicken Chowder
Inspired by TasteOfHome.com
Rich and comforting, this cheesy chicken chowder is the perfect cure for winter blues. Ingredients • 3 cups chicken broth • 2 cups peeled and diced potatoes • 1/4 tsp pepper • 1/4 cup butter, cubed • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup diced carrots • 1 cup diced celery • 1/2 cup diced onion • 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups whole milk • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese • 2 cups cooked and diced chicken
Directions 1. In a 4-quart saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat and add potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer for 12–15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. 2. In another medium saucepan, melt butter and stir in flour until smooth. Slowly stir in milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat, then add cheese, stirring until melted. Add the cheesy mixture and chicken to the broth and heat it thoroughly!
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11414 W. Center Rd., Suite 250 Omaha, NE 68144
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
402-614-3389 OmahaInsuranceSolutions.com Chris@OmahaInsuranceSolutions.com
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INSIDE This Issue
‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ Changed My Life 1
White Noise: Your Secret to Enhanced Concentration
2
3
Puzzling Out a Good Medicare Drug Plan
Cheesy Chicken Chowder
3
number of the new company because they can’t remember what plan they changed to nor the name of their new agent. One gentleman called us because he had a rate increase on his Medigap policy. When we called the insurance company, we discovered he had canceled our policy over a year earlier. His new insurance company and policy had bumped him significantly. Unfortunately, he had just had a severe health issue, so we couldn’t change him to a lower premium policy. The new Medigap company had given a tremendous introductory price but a not so great renewal rate. There was nothing I could do to help. The company he had was one I avoided for just that reason. ... CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3
up with material is challenging. But I remember Jerry Seinfeld always talked about his show as a show about nothing. No character development, no plot, no real lesson or profound truths revealed. It was about nothing, but people tuned in weekly to watch nothing and laugh. Some of you get my offbeat sense of humor. My wife used to think I was funny, too. Since we got engaged/married, she doesn’t seem to think I’m very funny anymore. There must have been some alloy in the metal in her engagement ring that negatively affected her funny bone. The Medicare plans, Medicare Supplements, and Part D prescription drug plans do not change drastically from year to year, but what does change is your utilization. So, questions, issues, and problems only arise once you use it. Give us a call to speak with a licensed insurance agent. Angie is magical in solving problems. I promise to find a mini‑Angie as soon as possible.
The referrals you send us are marvelous. Meeting your family and friends is a great joy. I had two young men meet with me the other day. We chatted like I usually do. I thought someone was playing with me when they said their work was a commercial office construction company. I had been angsting out about a new office space I will lease on Dodge Street. I’m required to find my own contractor to build out the space. I didn’t know what to do. Their company, AOI, had just finished a 26-floor renovation for First National Bank in the downtown tower. Bingo. We are meeting next week to look at my new office space.
Thank you for all the referrals. You make it a pleasure to serve you.
By the way, it is 10 months until the 2025 Medicare Annual Election Period. It’s coming up fast, so be ready!
I appreciate the feedback on our newsletter. It’s fun to write. I live a dull life, so coming
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