Joyspan: the Art and Science of Thriving in Life’s Second Half
Dr. Kerry Burnight is a gerontologist who encourages her patients to embrace aging.
People who have a long joyspan to accompany a long lifespan have four characteristics
Grow
Connect
Adapt
Give
Quote: Brother David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk, “The root of acceptance and joy is gratefulness.” By practicing gratitude, we can cultivate an appreciation of ourselves as we are, seeing our lives as sources of richness and growth rather than as incomplete or flawed.”
Mailman: My Wild Ride Delivering the Mail in Appalachia and Finally Finding Home
When Stephen Starring Grant loses his job during COVID-19, he thinks he needs to find a job quickly to provide health insurance. He becomes a letter carrier in his home region of rural Virginia outside of Blacksburg and writes this book as a memoir. After reading, you’ll appreciate the person who delivers your mail even more.
Quote: During the pandemic, the Postal Service held the country together. None of my Boy’s Life fantasies of postal adventure came true. There were no last-minute rescues of farmers trapped under tipped-over tractors on a remote back road. What was essential was just doing your job. Sometimes the heroic act is simply showing up.
Talk: the Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves
Allison Wood Brooks is a business professor at Harvard Business School. She has tested and utilizes a framework that can guide any conversation. While many pastors and deacons focus on listening– and rightly so– Brooks explains why and how talking improves listening.
Her framework
T: Topics
A: Asking
L: Levity
K: Kindness
Key Point:
A Duologue: a conversation between two people when neither party is listening to the other
Quote:
Psychologist Jennifer Aaker asked people on their deathbeds what they regretted most about their lives. Their most common answer was, “Wishing I had spent more time laughing with the people I love.”
Photo by Gülfer ERGİN on Unsplash