Kajijis is Healthy for You!

Ok, so a friend of mine forwarded this link to me from www.realage.com. I loved the message and wanted to post it here for all of you to see - so enjoy our socialization on Friday mornings guilt-free! Just think...we're actually making each other smarter. :-)

Coffee Talk: It’s Good for Your Brain

Want a fun and easy way to power up your brain? Have a chat over coffee, tea, or even warm milk.

The key here is the chat, not your choice of beverage. Even if they’re brief, occasional bouts of social interaction can help sharpen your wits.

Keep Chatting for Better Thinking
Whether you engage in conversation with a friend, a family member, or the guy behind you in the express line, keep talking. In a recent study of young adults, a mere 10 minutes of face-to-face conversation about a social issue was enough to boost working memory and mental processing speeds. Chitchat was as good as a crossword puzzle, in terms of brain benefits. In fact, the more people socialize, the better their brainpower -- regardless of age. (For a quick way to boost your social network, join the RealAge Community.)

Mental Aerobics
Conversation requires us to pay attention, remember what was said, deduce the other person’s meaning, and come up with appropriate responses -- some pretty serious mental gymnastics. And when it comes to mental muscle, it’s use it or lose it. Here’s another fun way to make your mind do somersaults.

Bonus: Socializing can improve your mood, too.

RealAge Benefit: Visiting friends during times when they are stressed can make your RealAge 8 years younger.

References Published on 08/12/2008.

Adieu Until Next Season

It is my hope that you all enjoyed In the Midst of Chaos (at least, vicariously through my postings), and once again, I would highly recommend the book to anyone. It was a fascinating read, and there was tons in it that obviously I could not include in my postings. FYI, I will be taking a hiatus from my regular contributions to the blog from this point forward until the beginning of Fall, but in the meantime you will have an opportunity to contribute to the blog yourself which I look forward to (more details below). The summer also means more casual Friday gatherings that are usually held outside either at a park, beach or backyard when the weather is nice (BYOB & snacks). And as in the past, sometimes our outings turn into field trips such as pick-your-own-fruit at a farm. We will only ask for hosts on Fridays marked by iffy weather.

Last week we met and discussed what we as a group would do for the summer months and came up with the idea of choosing a book to read together. This would be completely voluntary, and whether you choose to participate in reading with us or not, it will not affect the group’s weekly meetings in any way. The idea is for us to read a book of the group’s choosing and then have the blog available to those who wish to post their own thoughts, questions, comments, etc. on the book. (If you would like to participate and are not yet a designated author to the blog, please email me and I will send an invite for you to be an author so you can easily post your own entries.) We will discuss ideas for reading material tomorrow ...

Thank you to everyone for their contributions and comments throughout this series. I've enjoyed discussing not only this book I've blogged about but also our many discussion topics this year. You all are an inspiration to me, and I consider myself blessed to be surrounded by a community of wise and godly women. Looking forward to having fun with you throughout the summer and to a new season starting up again in the Fall. God bless!