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Age Up Age Well Monthly Blog

March 2026 — Issue 4

Connecting Information to Your Daily Life

Headlines

Celebrate Life!

Welcome to my birthday month! I turned 69 on March 2nd and share a birthday with Dr. Seuss. Over the years it has made perfect sense. All the silly songs I make up…the different voices I use when telling stories and my affinity to turn directions into rhymes. I volunteered to read “Cat in the Hat” in area schools on Dr. Seuss’ birthday.

I am a Pisces and according to the Zodiac, I am compassionate, imaginative and intuitive. I’m also emotional and empathetic and I have a tendency to go with the flow. That’s pretty much me. Now, I can also be moody and sometimes my wanting to help people has backfired. I need to be more patient with myself and others. Even at 69, I’m a work in progress.

So…to my fellow Pisces, Happy Birthday. I hope you enjoy telling your story and sharing your experiences.

A Closer Look

My parents were involved in our community. They were active in church, served on various boards and committees and recognized the importance of giving back. In the 1970s, dad served as the advisor to the international club at Michigan Tech. Engineering students from all over the world chose Tech and my parents chose to welcome them and include them in our family.

Countless students, including hockey players from Canada (be still my 16 year old heart) would join us for Thanksgiving, spend summers at our cottage and stop by just to visit. We saw more and more of two particular students and called them our “brothers from other mothers.” They were a wonderful part of my growing up. One was from Taiwan and the other from India.

As children we were introduced to different cultures and traditions. I was always fascinated by the club’s potluck dinners. Students wore traditional clothing, prepared native dishes and sang or danced to music from their respective countries. My “brothers” attended our weddings, joined in the celebration of new family members and mourned when our parents passed away. Jerry called my mother “Mom,” and referred to my dad as “Professor.”

I was in high school when I realized my friends hadn’t had these same experiences. They all had their own stories with unique chapters. Everyone’s childhood was different and as adults we can appreciate how our parents, teachers and friends played a part in who we were becoming.

In 2025 I celebrated my 50th high school reunion. Reminiscing, reflection and re-connecting was center stage. We all agreed high school played a part in shaping us and guiding us toward lifelong interests, passions and opportunities. We have all found what we’re good at and some of us are still working.

The underlying sentiment was gratitude. We were so glad to see each other and to catch up. We are transitioning from the busyness of work, the transformation of being parents to grandparents and finding ways to celebrate the rewards of having prepared for our future. And…that future is now.

I took my time retiring. I slowly reduced my schedule and ultimately was available on an as needed basis. This approach worked well for me. I started to fill my free time with personal and professional interests.

I accessed years of experience and expertise when developing Aging U.P. I shared my ideas with others and made meaningful connections within our community. Building off my work as a speech-language pathologist allowed me to remain connected to a profession I loved as I adjusted to no longer working directly with patients. There had to be a reason I kept so much clinical material. Right?

How are you preparing to remain actively engaged when you are no longer punching a clock? Here are some tips for staying actively engaged and strengthening your cognition.

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  • Connect with like-minded people. Join a group, club or committee. Start with those that are most similar to your areas of interest/passions.
  • Connect your unique talents to volunteering opportunities. Do you have strong writing, marketing, math skills or people skills?
  • Connect your passions and charitable gifts to community needs. Have your experiences in life made you more empathetic to a particular cause? Has your life been impacted by cancer, debt or substance abuse?
  • Connect socially to reduce stress, anxiety and depression. Building strong social bonds may minimize your risk of chronic illness and disease. Reach out to someone you haven’t heard from in a while.
  • Connect to resources. It’s important to know what your community offers in services and support should a personal need arise.
  • Connect your head to your heart. By giving, you open the door to receiving and feel-good hormones including dopamine and endorphins are released.
  • Connect your past to your present. What did you enjoy when you were younger and would like to participate in again?
  • Connect with job opportunities based on your financial needs and skill set. Retired? What about student teaching or retail work?

Cognitive Connection

When we make meaningful connections with our community and others, there are a variety of cognitive, physical and emotional benefits. We are more focused as we challenge our strategic decision making and problem solving. We utilize our memory skills and social engagement keeps our conversational skills strong.

When we read, write, type and use math, we strengthen our independent daily living skills. There is a cognitive return on every investment of your time!

Our personal growth is an outward extension of the sense of contributing, purpose and fulfillment. We learn new things and build confidence as we become part of a network of shared goals and values. We should be proud of the differences we are making.

Excerpt from Age Up Age Well

“Today I will help someone in need. Limitless possibilities exist, and all I must do is pick one. Or two or… Donating to worthy causes goes beyond the year end and seasonal giving. Food pantries are happy to have their shelves replenished, animal shelters have “wish lists,” and I know I can turn my spare change into care change with little effort… I need to get better at giving. Someday I might need help and will count on others to support me…”

Quote

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”

— Winston Churchill

What’s next…

April 2026: In honor of my Occupational Therapy colleagues and National OT Month, we’ll talk about ADLS; Activities of Daily Living Skills.

Until next time…
Age up Age well
Chris