Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Pet Love
According to the experts, having a pet has many health benefits not the least of which is lower blood pressure.  It turns out that the unconditional love of a pet does a body good, even if it’s only 15 minutes of bonding. I’m thinking of a cat or a dog, not a large snake.
While dog owners have no choice but to stay in shape as they regularly walk their pet, cat owners get their exercise by trekking to the store for more cat litter!
However, like other good things in life, owning a pet should be fun, not a source of financial worry.  Here are some suggestions when it comes to the cost of a pet:
Consider pet insurance to offset costly vet bills for emergency treatment.
            Food is the most expensive necessity after vet visits, but always look for quality rather than low price to ultimately save costly vet bills down the road.
Pet medication purchased directly from the vet can be expensive. It is a good idea to request the prescription information and shop for alternative generic pet meds.
Should you be unsure on how to handle things like ear cleaning, nail clipping or even dental cleaning, your vet can show you the best techniques for at-home care which can save the cost of specialized care.
But what about those who love dogs but have problems getting around easily for whatever reason? Someone found a solution: the interactive robot puppies. They are adorable and can replace a live dog without the walking and care needed. While not cheap, robot dogs will last a long time.  Cat lovers need not worry, robot cat companions are also available. These darlings feel real and have sensors that respond to motion and touch. The robot cats purr like a real cat while the robot puppies respond to voice with a bark. They provide individuals with the same benefits of love and companionship as real live pets and fill a void for those who miss the pets they had in the past. In care facilities they help lonely depressed seniors be happier and healthier.           
There is another option to explore: therapeutic visiting dogs for seniors. Some assisted living facilities offer pet therapy because these contacts help improve quality of life. However, there are also companion and working animals which a U.S. veteran owned and operated company can provide to help people in numerous ways in their homes. For more information: https://www.companionanimals.org/best-dogs-for-seniors-therapy-dogs-and-their-benefit-to-senior-citizens/





Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Living Longer
We all get older, but some do it faster than others. The idea should be to make the most of every day, to be involved in life because research shows it has a direct impact on quality of life and longevity.
Aging need not be negative. In fact, those who have a more positive view of aging live some seven years longer than those with a negative outlook, according to a Yale University study. 
     Here are some of my personal tips for aging well and longevity:
<        - Try new things as often as you can
<        - Find satisfaction in your endeavors and your abilities
<        - Keep only cheerful friends
<          - Keep learning so the brain doesn’t idle
<        - Enjoy the simple things and joys of life, i.e. family, friends, pets
<        - Laugh often, long and loud, and spend lots and lots of time with those who make you laugh
<        - Enjoy life to the fullest, and when tears happen (which they will) grieve and move on
<        - In your home, surround yourself with what you love, whatever it is: mementos, music, plants
<        - Cherish your health: if it is good, preserve it, if it is unstable improve it or get help
<        - Give back through volunteering which is a source of satisfaction while being good for your health
<        - Don’t take guilt trips (they are a waste of time)
<          - At every opportunity, tell those you love that you love them
<        - Forgive now because you might not get a second chance
<          - Dance at every opportunity for the health of your body and spirit
<          - Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle
<          - Be aware of your mortality because it fuels positive behaviors such as kindness and helpfulness as well as better health decisions
          And, even if your children chide you for eating dinner early, pay them no mind. Many studies have shown that eating dinner early and fasting for 12 hours could be the secret to long-lasting brain health and improved memory function.
In short, laugh, keep busy and eat early. Nothing difficult about that, is there?



Wednesday, February 8, 2017

            Are you keeping up?
          English is dynamic i.e. it changes and evolves as the world changes and evolves. Old words become archaic and fall by the wayside as new words and expressions are created when people find nothing suitable exists.
                        The recent and current political climate of the U.S. has resulted in a plethora of expressions most people had not been familiar with such as fake news and the post-truth era. These clearly define the current social climate where lies are often seen as truth. The latter was chosen as the word of the year by the Oxford dictionaries.
                        Other words were shortlisted. These included: adulting, meaning behaving like a responsible adult (although it is often used ironically on social media); chatbot, a computer program designed to simulate conversation with human users; alt-right, an ideological grouping associated with extreme conservative or reactionary viewpoints.
                        While surreal was chosen as the 2016 word of the year by Merriam-Webster, other words and expressions also looked up often in 2016 included: revenant (remember the movie?) which means one who returns after death or a long absence; faute de mieux, often used in legal decisions, is French for lack of something better; feckless, which was often used in last year’s U.S. campaign, means weak and ineffective. 
            The English language has over a million words. And the number continues to increase. These words are not all in the dictionary because a good portion of them simply become part of the language landscape gradually. Case in point: on applications for dating services no-longer-quite-as-young people find all sorts of ways of avoiding terms like plump or balding, preferring things like warmly hugable. Other interesting words: nomophia: fear of being without access to a working cell phone; Mx: the new gender neutral title of courtesy (if you don’t like Mr. or Ms.). 
            One expression, which was recently used by Trump staffer Kellyanne Conway is one that I find rather worrisome. The woman used alternative fact to refute a proven fact, and thus lie. Imagine if that expression becomes widely used by teenagers!
            Other terms making the rounds: banana republican, one who wants to lower taxes for the rich leading to increased income disparity and thus bring the country closer to banana republic status. Tweetplomacy: using social media to conduct diplomatic discussions publicly. And then there is infowar the “countering of false narratives,” which may be needed by parents whose kids have discovered alternative facts!
            Millennials seem to favor certain words at certain times. Bitching (meaning good) has dropped out of fashion. Awesome is now the word du jour which applies to almost anything and anyone. But, let’s not forget that cool is still very much in usage, while ratchet is used to describe a gross or bad girl. Of course, if you don’t already know, sick also means awesome or cool, while wicked and uber add emphasis, i.e. “That story made me wicked sad” or “I’m uber tired.” My bad is used to refer to one’s mistake.
            With today’s instant communication, we embrace abbreviations. Here are a few I came across: FOMO: fear of missing out; DOX: publishing private info about someone; SNM: say no more; MA: my angel; and TMI: too much information.
            We’d better try to keep up because language will continue to evolve whether we like it or not.

Wednesday, February 1, 2017


Are You Really Ready to Retire?
Whether we realize it or not, as we age our bodies and psyches undergo subtle changes which by their nature bring all of us to a point where we need and want to modulate our lifestyle. That point when we begin to explore the possibility of retirement is reached at different times by different people, so how do you know if you are really ready to leave your working life behind?
You may be well on your way when you begin asking yourself: Why should I work so hard? Why should I fight traffic every day? Why do I put up with an insecure boss? Or bitchy customers?
Today, age is no longer the factor it once was when envisaging retirement. Of course there are some people who may subconsciously equate retirement with one of life’s tragedies, and therefore convince themselves that they must continue to work until they drop. However, the average person will reach a point of decision where changes will need to be acknowledged and retirement considered. And that point may be reached much earlier or later than the traditional retirement age of 65.
As a natural byproduct of decades of repeated tasks, boredom often sets in at some points as we age. Monotony may become more than we are now willing to bear. We search for a change.
At the turn of the last century, both genders could expect to live to age 50. Today, most men can expect to live to 84 and women to at least 87. People reaching retirement age today are in generally in better physical shape than their parents were, and they can look forward to decades of pursuing a dream, whatever it may be, or starting a new career.
          We all have dreams of one kind or another. Some people start planning their retirement so they can finally devote themselves to a new interest, whether it’s writing a novel, joining an orchestra or building a boat.
         If you have decided that retirement is for you, before exploring your options you should be well aware that you can’t leave behind a career that has spanned thirty or forty years without some sense of loss. This is especially true of those who traditionally have focused the bulk of their energy on getting ahead in their field. They must refocus their aims and perception if they want a successful and happy retirement.
In many ways, retirement can be generally easier on women who have had to juggle a career with the care of children and the management of the household over the years. For many of them, retirement is a welcome blessing.