Enjoy Every Sandwich: Living Each Day as If It Were Your Last [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

Lee Lipsenthal (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 8, 2011

This book is a culmination of what I’ve learned. I hope it will open the door for you to embrace your humanity, accept uncertainty, and live a life of gratitude. —from Enjoy Every Sandwich

As medical director of the famed Preventive Medicine Research Institute, Lee Lipsenthal helped thousands of patients struggling with disease to overcome their fears of pain and death and to embrace a more joyful way of living. In his own life, happily married and the proud father of two remarkable children, Lee was similarly committed to living his life fully and gratefully each day.

The power of those beliefs was tested in July 2009, when Lee was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. As Lee and his wife, Kathy, navigated his diagnosis, illness, and treatment, he discovered that he did not fear death, and that even as he was facing his own mortality, he felt more fully alive than ever before. In the bestselling tradition of Tuesdays with Morrie, told with humor and heart, and deeply inspiring, Enjoy Every Sandwich distills everything Lee learned about how we find meaning, purpose, and peace in our lives.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Harmony; 1 edition (November 8, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 030795515X
• ISBN-13: 978-0307955159
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.9 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #306,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Dr. Lipsenthal is a profound explorer of our inner and outer worlds. Enjoy Every Sandwich will help you heal your fear of death and embrace the true joy of life’s extraordinary journey."
—Edgar Dean Mitchell, Apollo 14 astronaut

"Often, patients given a terminal diagnosis reach a surprising, transforming conclusion--you have to be ready to die to embrace being alive. But Lee Lipsenthal tells his story with such intimacy and humanity that this paradoxical fact can be accessed even by those who have not (yet) leaned out over the abyss. To deny death is to deny life. Read Enjoy Every Sandwich to know why."
--Andrew Weil, M.D., New York Times bestselling author of Healthy Aging and 8 Weeks to Optimum Health
 
"This book is about the lessons one learns on the journey from understanding the experience of life and all its difficulties. It contains the profound wisdom derived from the greatest teacher, our mortality. So read on and learn how to spend your life's precious time with more love and less fear."
--Bernie Siegel, M.D., Author of Peace, Love & Healing, and Love, Medicine & Miracles
 
"With courage and candor, Dr. Lee Lipsenthal shows us that facing death means facing life: Your own, and the lives of those around you. After his stunning diagnosis of an often-fatal cancer, Dr. Lipsenthal embarks on a journey of bravery, practicality, and humor to guide his way through the greatest of uncertainties. He allows us in, during the dark days and the brighter ones. Let Dr. Lipsenthal be your guide on a journey that, ultimately, all of us will take."
--Clint Eastwood
 
“What if you were not afraid to die? What if the universal fear that makes us small was suddenly gone and you were free? How would you live then? Lee Lipsenthal's beautiful memoir of the first 18 months of his journey with cancer reads at times as a prose poem, at times as a wisdom story and at times as an invitation to the Dance. To read it is to step through a door that opens only one way into a larger life. Of all the books you've read this year, this is the one that will heal you.”
--Rachel Naomi Remen MD, author of Kitchen Table Wisdom and My Grandfather's Blessings
 
"If you want to learn to love with your whole heart, so that when you come to the end of your life you will have no regrets, Lee Lipsenthal's gracious and caring book is for you. In revealing his own struggles, and doing so with remarkable transparency and responsibility, Lee has not just written a book that is filled with grounded inspiration and hard-earned wisdom. He has written a book that you will never forget."
--John Robbins, Author of Diet for a New America, Healthy at 100, and The New Good Life

About the Author

LEE LIPSENTHAL, M.D., ABIHM, was an internist, trained in the prevention of heart disease and in integrative medicine. A popular and acclaimed speaker and author, he was the medical director of Dean Ornish's Preventive Medicine Research Institute for a decade and has also served as president of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine.
 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Harmony; 1 edition (November 8, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 030795515X
• ISBN-13: 978-0307955159
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.9 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #306,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

LEE LIPSENTHAL, M.D., was an internationally recognized leader, teacher, and author in the fields of integrative medicine and physician wellness. He was the medical director with Dean Ornish of the Preventative Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California, for ten years, and has also served as president of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine and on the American Medical Association's Physician Wellness Committee. Through his years in the medical profession, Dr. Lipsenthal observed that the health, morale, and work satisfaction of many physicians were often worse than that of their patients. Inspired by his personal and professional experience, he developed the "Finding Balance in a Medical Life" program, which has been adapted by major medical groups and is being delivered at medical schools and residency programs nationwide.

Lee Lipsenthal died in September 2011. His wife, Kathy, who is also a physician, and his two children live in California.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The next Tuesdays with Morrie November 10, 2011

By Janice

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

After I read "Tuesdays with Morrie," I bought and gave away over 30 copies. I'm an avid reader, and no book since has touched me like that until I read "Enjoy Every Sandwich" this past weekend. (Couldn't put it down.) I'll be buying copies of this book by the dozens, too. One of my favorite sentences..."Meditation, gratitude, and letting go of control had cured my fear of death." Lee, you were a quintessential teacher. Thank you for this final lesson.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than "The Last Lecture" November 23, 2011

By Katherine A Bowles

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a beautiful little book, a quick read, and a message to savor.

The scenario is similar to that of The Last Lecture -- a man facing his imminent death shares the lessons he's learned. To me, this book had all the depth and spiritual insight that I found lacking in the other book. This is not so much a book about dying, but a book about living. I have written down pull quotes from this book and posted them in my office as daily reminders.

Yes, Dr. Lipsenthal explores some metaphysical experiences that might be challenging to some skeptical readers. But that's what is so fascinating. Here is a highly trained and respected MD sharing his own personal experiences in the spiritual realm. It should make any reader pause, and ponder.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Will Make You Feel Connected November 24, 2011

By StanfordsOwn

Format:Kindle Edition

As I read more and more self-help books on peaceful, mindful living, I'm realizing more and more that the benefit for me is not in the theoretical ideas expressed (Oneness, Gratitude) but in the narrative. I loved this book because his life experience is so similar to mine. I feel less lonely in the world now. I feel more understood.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars enjoy every word...of this book December 3, 2011

By kmb119

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have to disagree with another review's portrayal of Dr. Lipsenthal's medical knowledge and spiritual enlightenment as negative attributes. It is exactly those things which not only qualify, but also enable Lee Lipsenthal to share his experiences in a way that will maximally benefit his readers.

I don't know why some people think that an education is dehumanizing; as though the fact that Lipsenthal's curiosity landed him a medical degree makes him "one of them", and unable to relate to us common folk. To the contrary, Lipsenthal's clarity and honesty make it clear that he is just like everyone of us, only better informed and emotionally cultivated- due years of dedication.

I like to read books by people who know more than me, whose words will help me feel, learn and grow. This book does all of that. Read it, and you'll find Lipsenthal's words following you throughout your day, inspiring better experiences and interactions all the while.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars love every day December 3, 2011

By Katie1684

Format:Hardcover

I start every morning and end every evening with inspiration from this book. Dr. Lipsenthal has helped me to learn more about the art of meditation and finding inner peace and joy in every day. In one part of the book he describes his practice of gratitude by writing down things he's thankful for every night. This idea has helped me to take the time I need to reflect on and be appreciative of my life and all that I have.

One of my favorite quotes, "I just sit, breathing deeply, and think of the people in my life I love, a nice reminder of this tasty life in the middle of a busy day." I'm reminded when reading this book that the more detached we become from the day-to-day stress and worry, the more we can be open to love and gratitude. I'm confident that any person who reads this book will be inspired by his stories, revelations and extraordinary journeys. I would definitely recommend reading this book!

44 of 57 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars What if you had a sandwich and cancer, but no training or support systems? November 27, 2011

By Dr. Chuck Chakrapani

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Two messages come through this book, loud and clear. First, life is fleeting, live fully, enjoy every sandwich. Second, life can end at any time, it is nothing to be afraid of and today is as good a day as any to die. Great messages both. They are effectively delivered in the first few pages of the book by Lee Lipsenthal who was forced to face his mortality during the fifth decade of his life when he was diagnosed with cancer.

After this, the book goes nowhere. It is just a recounting of the good doctor's life between his diagnosis and his death. (The author died sometime between completing the manuscript and the publication of the book.) The author's thoughts, feelings and emotions could have been very illuminating, if he was like most of us. He wasn't. He was a prominent physician who practiced mind-body wellness, he had access to the best medical specialists in the world, he was, for decades, a spiritual seeker who practiced meditation, yoga and shamanism, and he was a man surrounded by a loving family of three generations - parents, spouse and children. He even claims to have teleported himself to his mother-in-law's deathbed and helped her to pass on peacefully. Not many of us have such strong preparation to deal with unexpected conditions of life and have so many support systems when we need them. I don't mean to minimize the author's pain, but I could not identify with the author's condition and so couldn't benefit from his life experiences after his diagnosis. If other readers have different life experiences and can identify with the author, they may get more out of the book than I did....

If you would like to read a really stunning book by a person with no major spiritual training suddenly facing his mortality with everything taken away from him in a split second, I would recommend the highly life affirming book by Jean-Dominique Bauby, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Read more ›