Remember the childhood dread of getting a shot? Or more grownup fears, like being exposed as an impostor? Or the pain of saying goodbye to a beloved pet, having your trust betrayed, or falling in love with the wrong person?  

Over his 60-plus years, and varied careers as a therapist, professor, author, actor and media consultant, Dr. David A. Levy has lived through everyday experiences --- embarrassing moments, distressing episodes, moving encounters --- that nearly everybody can relate to. In LIFE IS A 4-LETTER WORD: Laughing and Learning Through 40 Life Lessons, Dr. Levy shares the stories from his lifetime journey that have stayed with him and carried him through life’s challenges.

In midlife, Dr. Levy started collecting meaningful anecdotes from his past and, when they seemed relevant, sharing them to encourage and engage his patients and students. “I was struck by how frequently they resonated with others,” he reflects. “I came to realize the impact of these stories is a result of their being both real and personal.”

Presented in chronological order to trace the arc of his life, growth and development, Dr. Levy’s slice-of-life tales offer deep insights, drawing on his expertise as a veteran psychologist, and the wisdom of both hindsight and maturity --- as well as the ability to laugh at himself. Each story offers a valuable nugget or moral. But this collection of reflections on familiar yet often overlooked, and sometimes willfully forgotten, experiences isn’t preachy or prescriptive. Written in a style that’s engaging, humorous, warm and friendly, LIFE IS A 4-LETTER WORD aims to entice others to look back on and find meaning in their own humbling attempts, impulsive decisions, silly mistakes and happenstance occurrences. 

Starting with the story of the routine shot Levy dreaded getting at age six and culminating six decades later with his near-dying father’s surprising final request, LIFE IS A 4-LETTER WORD tells widely relatable, touching and often funny stories about high school football games, bosses from hell, and the frustration of trying to help someone who doesn’t want to be helped. From his tales of youthful angst and hubris, early career blunders and misjudgments, and misplaced loyalty, envy and loss, Dr. Levy offers his enduring takeaways, including:

• When you have to face the inevitable, it’s best to just get it over with.
• You only know you’ve gone too far when you’ve gone too far. 
• A healthy dose of cynicism is a potent antidote against gullibility.
• The answers to some questions are destined to remain unknowable.
• With age, the absence of catastrophic news is great news. 

An engaging take on self-help and self-discovery, LIFE IS A 4-LETTER WORD is a collection certain to resonate with baby boomers and many readers of all ages.