Gail Miller’s mission is to listen. She is the founder of the monthly Surviving Tough Times group at the East Meadow Public Library, which imparts one lesson — to love and respect yourself in spite of obstacles.
“The workshop focuses on changing the way we see ourselves and others with a healthy, positive and exciting outlook on life,” she said.
Miller, 82, served as a volunteer at the Long Island Crisis Center for 10 years. Her experiences motivated her to pursue other support programs during her retirement years.
“I used to sit in on stuff that they did to help people who were in crisis,” she said. “One day, I just decided that I would like to do more than just work at the crisis center.”
Almost four years ago, Miller began the groups’ annual Positivity Day on Oct. 27. The day will feature three workshops at 10:30 a.m., 2 p.m., or 6:30 p.m. The groups’ workshops explore a variety of topics like friendships, self-care, decision making, humor, gratitude and more.
“My workshops focus on changing the way we see ourselves,” she said. “We do not talk about our problems. What we talk about is how to get through whatever it is that’s bothering us.”
During the workshops, Miller has made use of handouts that help organize participants’ thoughts and be used for future reference.
“I’m convinced of the innate positivity in everyone, and I want them to be made aware of their specialness,” she said.
Positivity Day, as with all of the library’s events, is open to the public. It also offers extras, such as free magnets, a raffle, and other treats.
“It’s all related to positivity — I never get sick of the word,” she said.
Karen Buttner regularly attends the groups’ events. She volunteered to help Miller expand the project and make Positivity Day possible, in addition to other volunteers from the group. Buttner is bringing a personal touch to this year’s event.
“I have these three ring binders so that every time we have a workshop, I make a new chapter, and I keep everything,” she said. “When [Miller] saw that, she was like, ‘Oh, yeah! That has to be there so people can see.’”
Buttner values the group because of the strong community that has been built between members both new and old, she said.
“We’re all going through life together, and we all want to celebrate our lives,” she said. “It’s very much about opening up and allowing the process of sharing our lives and what we’re going through. Even if you’re having some down times, we’re there for each other.”
Tammy Bianco is the head of programming at the library. She and Miller have worked closely together to plan community events.
“This is really something out of the goodness of her heart that she does, and she feels very strongly about it,” Bianco said of Miller. “She put in a lot of work for it.
“Positivity Day is a nice thing to bring families and people of all ages into the library,” she added. “There’s a lot of stress in the world, it’s nice to have a day of positivity to bring everyone together.”
The library also offers other programs for all people of all ages: movies, workshops, lectures, crafts and “a lot more than just books,” Bianco said.
To learn more about Positivity Day and other library events, visit EastMeadow.info.
