Richard Carlson, Psychologist and Author, Dies Unexpectedly

Sadly, I just read that psychologist Richard Carlson, author of Don't Sweat the Small Stuff--and it's all small stuff has died, apparently from cardiac arrest while flying to New York on a book tour (Hat tip: Althouse blog ). I remember after my heart attack seven years ago that one of my sisters gave me one of his books to cheer me up. At the time, I felt that I didn't need some stupid self-help book to make me feel better--I just wanted to be well. But the book and my illness made me realize how futile it was to be upset over the little daily annoyances of life that made no difference at all. Richard Carlson understood that and he helped me to understand it too, not just at an intellectual level, but at an emotional one as well.

Here is more about Richard Carlson's work. My readers may find it too "fluffy" and pop psych for their taste, but I think Dr. Carlson had a good message that made the world a better place. We need more people like him in the world, not fewer.