The other day I was at the library picking up some books I had reserved.  As I was leaving a woman approached me. She asked me if I was Judy (I forget if she used my last name.)

Turns out the woman whose name is Ginny recognized me from a picture on this blog.  She was delighted to meet me, and I was delighted that she spoke to me.  We chatted briefly, and then wishing each other well, we went on our way.

I smiled all the way home.

Sometimes I write down a few thoughts that I hope to become part of a blog post. Often, when I see those scribbles, I can’t remember what I was thinking and/or I don’t know where those thoughts came from.  So it was with the following disturbing snippets:

1. Three of five young people say their lives lack meaning and purpose.
2. Anxiety and depression have tripled among the young.
3. Some are living an AI* version of real life.

As Linda Loman says in the classic Death of a Salesman…

“Attention must be paid!”

*artificial intelligence

Had some difficulty with the post that was scheduled for yesterday. Please stay tuned. Back to normal on Sunday the 28th!

Some say that Father’s Day (like Mother’s Day) was invented to sell greeting cards (and neckties).  Nonetheless, I think it is important to remember and honor those who make us mothers.

The father of my children had a difficult childhood, having been born in Berlin in 1930.  That may be partly why he was grateful for our fifty-six years together.  And he was a great dad—from his coaching of boys’ soccer to sleeping in a bunk with snoring other dads at Father’s weekend at the “Y” camp our boys attended.

Now, one of his sons is the father of two sons and the other is expecting his first son.

He would be thrilled.

80-something (or maybe 70-something) has covered ice cream in my life before.  (And will again!)  So, of course, when an ice cream tasting appeared on the daily schedule of the CCRC where I live, I put it on my agenda.

Apparently, some different ice cream flavors were being tested for possible addition to the regular offerings.  The new flavors included butter pecan, mint chocolate chip, Bing cherry and something with gluten (which I had to skip).

I believe butter pecan was the winner.  It doesn’t matter to me. 

I’ll continue to stick with coffee.

Reading the newspaper with my morning coffee is my habit of decades.  Therefore, I see an overwhelming amount of bad news.  (It is said that good news doesn’t sell newspapers, but who knows?)

Lately, there has been a lot of reporting on the impact of Artificial Intelligence on workers—and it is not hopeful news. Many are convinced that advanced A.I. will soon surpass human capabilities, and many jobs will disappear.  I do not know if this is true, but even though 80-something can’t do anything about this,

I still can worry about it.

I went to a party the other day to say “goodbye” (and for me it was also “hello”) to a new friend’s home that had just been sold.  The house and attached barn, built in 1840 in the middle of a large meadow had been beautifully restored.

As I prepared to leave the party, a new guest arrived—a professor I’ve known from my years at the Kennedy School.  It was a huge bonus to catch up with him.

It reminded me of the old saying, “You can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl.”  So it is with me after spending 33 years at the Kennedy School…

The above attention-grabbing title is from the Washington Post’s Well+Being website. The article suggests that making tiny changes in eating, sleeping and exercise may add a year or more to lifespans.

It sounds easy…according to Australian researchers, just add five minutes of sleep, two minutes of exercise and half a serving of vegetables daily to your existing routine and you’re all set.

University of Sydney Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis claims, “We’re talking about four extra pieces of broccoli at dinner…”

Bottom line: with at least 7.2 hours of sleep plus 42 minutes of physical activity daily and a high-quality diet (in theory) translates into nearly 10 additional years of good health.

Sounds easy.

My continuing care retirement community membership includes seven dinners a week.  It also offers a buffet of juice, coffee and muffins every morning. And at lunchtime, one can pick up a delectable soup.

The soup is very popular, and only a limited supply is available. Serious soup lovers are there as the clock strikes twelve.

If I’m here, I’m there!

According to Kerry Burnight, a star in the healthy aging firmament, if we have a positive view of aging, we can live an average of 7.5 years longer.

Here’s what she thinks gets better with age:

1. We aren’t so concerned with social approval.
2. We have the wisdom that comes with experience.
3. We are better at regulating our emotions.
4. We have more humility and compassion.
5. We have a better understanding of what truly matters.
6. We experience contentment and appreciation.

For me, this is a work in progress…and it is work.