As the number describing my age winds higher and higher I wonder about what I've seen happen to my older relatives: a lack of comprehension of business letters like insurance statements—worrying that even those that said "THIS IS NOT A BILL" were invoices. Some seem to just give-up.
On some level I have always refused to look at crap that is too complicated and which has no bearing on my interests. In this case it is self-preservation. Happily or sadly I was blessed with a good memory. I was able to pick up languages easily. In my forties I noticed that it was harder to pick up a language, or that I no longer had patience for it. I do not want to turn into someone for whom reading a bill is too hard and for whom reading the obituaries is their favorite daily activity. One's world, I don't believe, doesn't need to get smaller and smaller until the pine box is big enough. The pine box will get us all in the end; no need to grant it a head start.
The only way to do this is by keeping in shape physically and mentally. And, even then, illness can come through and bop you one. But within the limits of physical challenges we can continue to grow and learn. Eartha Kitt said something like, I am learning all the time. The headstone will be my diploma.
So, looking through my THE DAILY BEAST (part of Newsweek) email this morning I was attracted to a picture of a shiny brain with the caption "Buff your Brain." That lead me to 31 Ways to Get Smarter in 2012.
This list has some fairly obvious things, like get enough sleep, learn a language, and hydrate. But, it also delivers some surprises: eat yogurt, toss your smartphone.
Check it out!
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| Image via Wikipedia |
The only way to do this is by keeping in shape physically and mentally. And, even then, illness can come through and bop you one. But within the limits of physical challenges we can continue to grow and learn. Eartha Kitt said something like, I am learning all the time. The headstone will be my diploma.
So, looking through my THE DAILY BEAST (part of Newsweek) email this morning I was attracted to a picture of a shiny brain with the caption "Buff your Brain." That lead me to 31 Ways to Get Smarter in 2012.
This list has some fairly obvious things, like get enough sleep, learn a language, and hydrate. But, it also delivers some surprises: eat yogurt, toss your smartphone.
Check it out!
