Serving individuals in Pinellas County who are blind or visually impaired

In-Sight Authors

In-Sight – A Memorable View from the Lighthouse

Lighthouse of Pinellas Creative Writing Instructor John Humpal and members of his class looked back on their lives recently to record cherished memories, lessons learned and historic events. Together they created a unique book of grace and wisdom.

Their moving memoir has drawn rave reviews from those lucky enough to read a copy. In fact, the response has been so favorable that the book is being published and will soon be for sale at Lighthouse of Pinellas. It’s called In-Sight and covers topics as broad as the Great Depression and as personal as the death of a beloved dog. Thanks to the generosity of the authors, a portion of the proceeds will go toward Lighthouse programs and services.

All of the authors of the book are clients of the Lighthouse and all are blind or visually impaired. The book can be purchased on the Lighthouse website at www.lightouseofpinellas.org.

Humpal had the original idea for the book and contributed to it himself. A native of West Texas raised on a ranch, John graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with degrees in astrophysics and ancient history. After graduation he worked for the Atomic Energy Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

"I got bored," he admitted. "I got tired of being in a lab all the time."

So he became a teacher of EST, a popular 1970s movement based on the thinking of Werner Erhard. In the 1980s, he taught philosophy at the Concept Therapy Institute developed by Dr. Thurman Fleet, a chiropractor with a large practice in San Antonio during the first half of the 20th Century.

John came to Clearwater in 2001 and underwent 18 surgeries for a variety of ailments including a brain tumor. He also began losing his vision to macular degeneration in 2006. None of it slowed him down very much. He started doing corporate workshops on “Why People Do the Things They Do” in 2005 at places like IBM, Shell, Xerox and Dell. He also has two books of his own coming out this year: The Powers Within is due out in March. The Visitor, a conversation on universal law between a cowboy and a Native American woman and man, will be published in May.

From In-Sight, here is John’s personal recipe for well-lived life:

Top Fifteen Steps for Success and Happiness

  1. 15. Stop blaming others, it doesn’t work.
  2. 14. Lighten up and people will laugh with you and not at you.
  3. 13. The next time you find yourself in an argument, stop defending your views and understand the other person’s point of view first, then smile.
  4. 12. Realize the power of your own thoughts. Think about it!
  5. 11. Breathe; it is especially good for life.
  6. 10. Don’t interrupt others or finish their sentences. They may have some wisdom for you.
  7. 9. Do something nice for someone else and don’t tell anyone about it. The news will spread quickly.
  8. 8. Learn to live in the present. It is more fun than the past.
  9. 7. Become more patient. RIGHT NOW!
  10. 6. Spend a moment every day thinking of someone to thank. It will be time well spent.
  11. 5. Resist the urge to criticize yourself or others. Criticism is like a boomerang, it will come back to you quickly.
  12. 4. Turn your melodrama into a mellow drama. The audiences will rave.
  13. 3. Practice being in the “eye of the storm.” The winds of life are still there, but this too shall pass.
  14. 2. Remember you become what you practice the most. What are you practicing?
  15. 1. Acknowledge the totality of your being. You are a child of God and that should be enough.
To purchase your copy of In-Sight, click here. Cost is $10.