Normally when I am sitting in on the classes I audit, I concentrate on the professor.  But the other day I was distracted in my political theory class.

Directly in front of me (on an unusually warm March morning) was a student who caught my attention.

Her caramel-colored back was bare except for an orange cord tied around her neck (and presumably also around her waist which I couldn’t see).

I first noticed her shiny black shoulder-length hair.  More compelling was a tattoo of a rose bud at the top of her spine, its long green leafed stem going as far down her back as I could see.

At some point, she donned a heavy jacket, a relief to me because the classroom was cold.  But when she got up to leave after class, I could see her lovely face which (no surprise)…

Sported a silver nose ring.

(Source: Stop Filling You Mind With Digital Doritos (3/29/26 NYTimes)

Have you given any thought to how your brain is doing recently?

An article by Professor Cal Newport of Georgetown University quotes a study about artificial intelligence that revealed a “significant negative correlation between frequent AI tool use and critical thinking abilities.”  Other studies have shown that school phone bans improve students’ tests scores. The article is a call to action

On the rare occasion when my phone is (accidentally) not with me, I feel unsettled. This article makes a strong case for us to not constantly check our phones.  Will it change my behavior?  Or the behavior of others?

Unlikely.

Sometimes being compulsive is not-so-bad.  For me, about twenty minutes of stretches is how I compulsively start each day. Now that I think about it, I’ve been starting my day that way for decades. 

Oddly, there is one stretch that always makes me think of Peter.  On my stomach, I bend one leg at a time to my hip.  Peter could do both legs at once.  Of course, I think of (and miss) him at many other times, but that morning stretch is a constant reminder.

And always will be…

In 1964, clutching a copy of Arthur Frommer’s Europe on $5 a Day and a one-way ticket to Lisbon (leaving behind worried parents because I was going by myself), I set off on a great three-month European adventure. (By the way, Frommer’s book is now $68.88 on Amazon and is called Frommer’s Europe from $85 A Day.)

Now-a-days, my international travel is pretty much limited to Brazil to visit my son Seth and his wife Dani (although I did travel with them to Morocco after Thanksgiving), and I wouldn’t dream of going anywhere without a reservation.  Nonetheless, I was interested to see on one 2026 list of best cities in the world to visit, I had been to fifteen of the top twenty-five.

I might not remember what I did yesterday, but I can still retrieve the memories of my solo trip to Europe sixty years ago.

It was a gorgeous, but cold almost-Spring-day.  I took two friends I wanted to thank for a favor out for a delicious lunch.  I was feeling quite satisfied. 

On the way home, I decided to take my uncommonly dirty (as in filthy) car to the car wash.

There is something very satisfying about having a clean car.  Once in its parking space, I walked all around it, marveling at its beauty.

Note to self:  Don’t wait so long next time!

Known for their work on the effect of ageism on healthy aging, Levy and Slade offer good news from their recent study of cognitive and physical capacity as we grow older.

We expect cognitive and physical decline to be inevitable as we age. It is true that the group studied by Levy and Slade over a twelve-year period did decline in cognitive and physical capacities, but there was wide variability. Thirty-two percent of those in the study actually improved cognitively, and 28% improved physically. Some in the group improved in both.

The study showed that the best predictor of successful aging was a positive attitude.  Crossword puzzles and gym visits are always on my agenda. 

My attitude might need a little work

It took a long time to diagnose my husband Peter’s Parkinson’s Disease.  Although learning that he had an incurable disease was hard, it was a relief to have an explanation for his loss of energy and spirit.  He lived with Parkinson’s while it took so much from him for many years until he decided it was time to stop eating and drinking. 

The other day, four and a half years after his death, I watched a video by a very brave professor and doctor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health who is currently living with Parkinson’s.  This remarkable woman reminds us that Parkinson’s is different for everyone and that despite incredible progress, there is still a way to go for a cure.

You can watch Sue Goldie’s remarkable story at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqLAVhciC58

My husband Peter would have been 96 years old on March 10th.  I was delighted by the many friends who acknowledged the date with fond memories of him.  

Best of all was the note from daughter-in-law Katrina who reported that Peter has been seen celebrating in heaven eating jelly beans (oh the times I found random jelly beans on the floor of our car!) with Seth and Dani’s beloved dog, Forrest Gump.

Peter and I had 56 great years together.  I miss him every single day.

I stopped at a shopping mall for the first time in recent memory on the way home from a haircut last week. I’ve already forgotten what small purchases I made.

Then, on a visit over the weekend from son Jeremy and his wife Katrina, another trip to the mall was required because Katrina’s suitcase didn’t make it to Boston and she needed to pick up a few necessities. A third visit the following day, was to meet Jeremy’s camp friend and his family for Sunday brunch.

The third visit’s mall parking lot was a sea of Sunday-shopper cars.  The jammed restaurant required a wait despite our reservation.   It was lovely to see Jeremy’s friend and his family, but as we walked around after brunch, this 80-something suffered a serious case of…

Mall fatigue.

Long-time 80-Something readers may recall that my favorite food is ice cream, especially coffee ice cream.  So, when I learned there would be an ice cream tasting to celebrate an expanded freezer capacity in the kitchen of my new residence, I was delighted.

The options at the tasting did not include coffee, but I’m flexible so I sampled other flavors.  They included: maple walnut, blueberry cheesecake, chocolate chunk, salted caramel and vanilla.  They were all quite tasty.

But not as tasty as coffee.