Some Brain
Matters . . .
The first is A Different View of Aging by Brenda
Patoine. True or False: You lose 10,000 neurons a day as you age? The
answer is false. Neuroscientists discounted this theory many years ago,
but it still conjures up images of our brain slowly shrinking away.
Since the late 1980’s, researchers have studied over 15,000 older people
in order to identify variations in lifestyle that predict “successful
cognitive maintenance”. The consensus boils down to a few fundamentals:
be physically and mentally active, stay socially engaged, and reduce
risk factors that can cause vascular problems( such as hypertension and
high cholesterol). Science has revealed over and over that environmental
complexity is a very good thing for the brain and what is a good way to
work that brain? Tango dancing! It may pack a triple pack as it provides
1) social integration 2) mental challenge (to learn the complicated
dance steps) and 3) physical exercise. Dance lessons anyone?
The second article is an extensive discussion on the subject of
autism which we hear more and more about each day. Some people consider
it an epidemic, but the jury is still out. Some experts argue the
numbers have risen as a result of the evolving understanding of what
constitutes autism and the changing standards doctors use to make a
diagnosis.
Still, autism affects as many as 24,000 infants born in the United
States each year. The causes are not known, but genetic influences
factor heavily, so finding the genes involved is critical. The search is
in full swing, but the task is daunting because the behavioral traits
that manifest are along a continuum of severity in different people.
There is hope though and early intervention is important.
I want to wrap up this newsletter with telling you about two autistic
people who have - against all odds - shown their tenacity to function in
the world. One is a woman professor at Colorado State University
Veterinarian School, Temple Grandin, who wrote the current best selling
book,
Animals in Translation. She offers advice in handling your animals,
because she believes she understands the fears animals have because of
her autism. The second is a video of an autistic high school basketball
team manager, Jason Mc Elwain, whose coach let him play in the last few
minutes of the final game of the season. For all, whether you have seen
this
CBS video or not, it is a treat. (After clicking on the link, there
is the story and to see the video click on its link). It ranks right up
at the top of one of the most heartwarming and inspiring videos you will
ever see. This young man scores 20 points and chaos erupts all around
him. Enjoy!
Last week the Denver Rocky Mountain News had an article
about Chris Garner who is the chief of Gardner Rich and CO- a
multimillion dollar brokerage firm with offices in New York, Chicago and
San Francisco. A former homeless person with a high school education,
who raised his son alone during his rags-to-riches story, Chris’s life
is detailed in his book, the
Pursuit of Happyness (sic). It will become a movie to be released in
December.
In 1981, Chris, barely surviving, spied a man looking
for a place to park his Ferrari, and told him he would let him have his
parking place if the person would answer two questions: “What do you do
and how do you do it?” When the man told him he was a stockbroker, Chris
had no idea what that meant. He set out to learn and overcame
unbelievable challenges along the way. Seven years later, he opened his
own firm and now twenty five years later is renowned for his success and
generosity giving tens of thousands of dollars a year back to his
community.
Recently, a friend told me the story of her hairdresser, an
overweight black woman from England, who was extremely discouraged. Her
martial life was in shambles and she was struggling. Then, she set a
goal to take control of her life. Over the next few months, she lost
over fifty pounds and her self confidence soared. Now, she works as a
professional in a business office and has turned her life totally
around.
A reader, Alice, tells of her daughter who followed her dream. Lisa,
a highly successful engineer, quit her job and enrolled in a pastry and
cake decorating school. She has since graduated after an intense and
highly competitive program. In her class of thirteen, there were four
more engineers and people with credentials in other fields. All had
recognized a latent creative talent and followed their heart. Alice
supports her decision, but has only one negative. She has gained five
pounds supporting her daughter’s new profession!
A previously unpublished writer, a woman, who is a member of
CIPA – the
Colorado Independent Publishers Association – wrote a memoir and
published it herself. It included her experience growing up in a
military family and it was warmly received. With the ongoing military
activity of today, her book has been highly successful and she is a
sought after speaker across the country.
A few years ago, a former teacher and stay-at-home mother who lives
in Highlands Ranch, Colorado decided to produce quality educational
videos for her children. You know the rest of the story! Disney bought
the rights to her Baby Einstein tapes for millions of dollars. Now, she
is pursuing her next dream which is to produce professional videos for
seniors!
These are but a few examples of people who had a dream and followed
through to completion. You can bet fear was hanging around along the
way, but they did the thing they wanted to do. The monkey mind was
thwarted as they found a way to make their dream a reality.
Do you have a dream? Are you pursuing it? It doesn’t have to be
grandiose or glorious or something that will get your name in the paper.
It just has to be a longing, a passion - something that you truly want
and should pursue. Do you think you are too old? Remember,
Grandma Moses began painting in her seventies after abandoning a
career in embroidery because of arthritis. She lived to be 101.