Better together
Things are changing: some good, some bad. They always will. Influence what you can, make a difference where you can. Work with others to do new things. More inspiration, guidance and fun within.
A BIG week for my Substack, commissioning my first Guest Article in a collaboration with writer @SarahMRosenthal - Making a hairpin turn to happiness
Check out my Guest post on her Substack, Nervous Wreckage: Even therapists get anxious sometimes
And THEN, I also did a Guest Post in my collab on Intermittent Fasting Insider with Ellen Britt & Denise Wakeman - Time-Restricted Fasting Is My Frenemy
Thanks to my recent participation in Substack Grow, these collaborations have been a first for me. If you have collaborated recently, I want to hear all about it.
‘It’s the best thing I’ve done’: over-50s on quitting work for good
Although there’s been some talk about The Great Regret recently, and I’ve mentioned some of this in my newsletter before, there’s still a large number of over-50s changing direction in life. It’s interesting to ask if this is just how it will be now, or will we revert to how we were before?
“We are in the process of selling our oversized three-bed ambition house, paying off all our debts and settling in a small cottage in Argyll, Scotland. I have secured a volunteer guide role at the local museum and plan to rediscover all my ignored hobbies,” he says.”
“I have told my wife that I’ll go and stack shelves in a supermarket if we’re short of cash one day. I think I did make a difference. But now it’s time to make a difference to my life.” - Steve, 52, Rochdale, England.
52 places for a changed world
This achingly beautiful mini-site from The New York Times gives a run-down places around the globe where travelers can be part of the solution.
Even if you’re not planning to travel in the near future, it’s a lovely site to click around and explore. Made free for you through your subscription to Noise Reduction.
Winners of 2022 Nature TTL Photographer of the Year contest
Over 8,000 photos were entered into the 2022 Nature TTL Photographer of the Year contest. Check out the winners (and more beautiful images) here.
This is nature at its most raw. The caracal is soaked from chasing the flamingos through the waters, but has come out on top … The contrasting colors against the dark surroundings really make this image pop. A wonderful scene to have been able to observe no doubt, let alone capture exquisitely on camera - Will Nicholls, founder of Nature TTL
Stop drinking, keep reading, look after your hearing: a neurologist’s tips for fighting memory loss and Alzheimer’s
When does forgetfulness become something more serious? And how can we delay or even prevent that change? The Guardian UK talks to brain expert Dr Richard Restak.
“In America today,” he writes “anyone over 50 lives in dread of the big A.” Memory lapses are, he writes, the single most common complaint over-55s raise with their doctors, even though much of what they describe turns out to be nothing to worry about.
Coming out of a shop and not being able to remember where you left the car, for example, is perfectly normal: it’s likely you just weren’t concentrating when you parked, and therefore the car’s location wasn’t properly encoded in your brain. Forgetting what you came into a room for is probably just a sign you’re busy and preoccupied with other things..
You can learn to love being alone
Not everything is about being with others. I love moments of solitude. It’s something my wife and I have on common: though we love company and being with each other, we both value positive time alone when we can too. Solitude doesn’t have to feel lonely. It can be restoring and, with a little practice, refreshing too. Mode free-to-read for readers of Noise Reduction.
Former NASA astronaut Jim “Ox” van Hoften has experienced a very particular solitude; during his missions to space in the 1980s, he was isolated from his family, his routine and, quite literally, the world.
And yet, “there were only a few times I felt like I was really on my own,” Dr. van Hoften, 77, said. Although the crew could reach ground control for only 20 minutes out of every 90-minute orbit, he still felt bolstered by support. Even in outer space, “you’re never alone, you always have somebody helping,” he said.
That applies on Earth too. Checking in with a friend can still be part of your solitude ritual, Ms. Moffa said. In fact, “having the space to do that while we’re in this place of solitude can make the communication deeper and the connection more authentic, because we’re without the many layers of distractions around us.”
Only in New Zealand …
Seal breaks into New Zealand home, traumatises cat and hangs out on couch. What are the chances that the home the seal broke into belongs to a marine biologist?
Reading, watching, listening
Listening: Lo-fi and ambient music are what I tend to listen to when I’m writing. I can’t listen to vocals - they are too distracting. Here’s what I mean by Lo-fi and how it helps me - and here’s an example playlist too.
Watching: Still on Pachinko, and Sandy Toksvig (as detailed last week), but we’ve been enjoying Trying too: a comedy series from Apple TV+ and BBC Studios about a thirtysomething couple and their friends learning to grow up, settle down, and find someone to love. Now in Season 3.
Reading: What with a couple of media appearances on TV and Radio this week, as well as Guest posts on two other Substacks (Nervous Wreckage and Intermittent Fasting Insider), not much time for reading this week.
Thanks for reading all - especially paid members who support my writing. If you’re not a paid member yet and can afford to become one, please consider supporting my writing with money. I can’t do without it!