The days have flown by. That’s my whole excuse for not sitting here and writing sooner.
Well, I could say I have a lot to do, and that is true, but I could take some time and sit here and write. Instead, when I had some extra time I have been sitting with a book I just started over the weekend. The Good Life, Lessons Learned from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz. The whole idea of the decades-long study shows that strong relationships make for a good life. I found this book through a newsletter that I receive after signing on to Stanford’s longevity project.
I had been a part of a teacher cancer study for decades, begun at Stanford when I first started teaching. Although closed to new participants for a decade or more, that study is still providing amazing details, but the researchers use the material that has already been collected. Stanford asked if I would like to sign on the longevity project since I was now in a position of having lived a LONG time. Okay. Sounds good.
I’ve done a couple of questionnaires, but mainly I just get their updated research, which is eye-opening. The newsletter always has lots of material that interests me, especially a list of books, which is where I found The Good Life. One of the authors, Robert Waldinger, also has a TED talk (or more) that piqued my interest, so I had to get his book.
Other books that have been recommended are Elderhood by Louise Aaronson (very wordy), Built to Move by Kelly and Juliet Starrett (great piece on literally moving into really old age), I’ve Decided to Live 120 Years by Ilchi Lee (which made me totally change my thinking on how many years I want to live), Deep Medicine by Eric Topel (AI and healthcare can go together), Super Agers by Eric Topel (let’s look at longevity in a different way).
And, the sun has been shining here while the rest of the country is getting very cold storms, so I am out working in the yards and enjoying sunlight which gives me a whole better mood.
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