Life Lesson from My Mom -Brain Power!

Last week, I was rushing to get to the airport to pick up my sister after I had taken a side trip to stop by a yard sale (one my favorite things to do on Friday mornings!).  I was in a neighborhood that I was not familiar with and forgot that school had started.  I got stuck behind a school bus that was making stops at every corner.  After 10 minutes of stop and go traffic I could hear my mom saying, "You gotta use your head for something else besides a hat rack!"  Instead of continuing to follow this bus back the way I had entered the neighborhood, I finally took a chance and went down a side street that eventually led me back to the expressway.  Before I knew it, I was on my way and made it to the airport in time to meet my sister.

Mom was such a sharp dresser and had an array of cute hats.  She loved glitter and rhinestones and even had snazzy baseball caps in bright pretty colors.  Looking good was an art form for her and she never left the house without looking her best. She was known for the pretty outfits she would wear.

The amazing thing about mom is that she paid as much attention to her mind as she did to her outer appearance.  You would always find mom with a word search puzzle or a good book to read. She wrote lots of letters and kept travel journals. She was always researching recipes and ways to do things better.  I am convinced that all of these mental exercises played a big role in her living for 91 years and still being able to remember so much.

We are living in an age where image is though to be everything.  Parents are rushing about trying to make sure their children look their best as they return to school.  They are buying beautiful backpacks with gorgeous designs and posting so many cute pictures on Facebook.

I feel  it is important for us to look our best and to find a style that fits our personality. However, what I think is vital is that we exercise our brain so that it stays sharp and ready to tackle the onslaught of issues and situations we encounter on a daily basis.

We have to be careful not to live our lives on auto-pilot.  It is too easy to keep all of our numbers on speed dial rather than remembering at least the important ones; to use a calculator for everything instead of adding things in our head, taking the same routes everywhere we go instead of venturing out and trying new routes; cooking the sames things week after week instead of trying new recipes; and trying on new colors instead of sticking with our "go to" outfits.  These are just a few examples of how we have "dumb down" our minds over time.  Eventually, it causes us to have imbalances in our brain and leads to many complications including depression.*

My mom was right.  If we are going to live happy healthy lives filled with lots of creativity, we have to use our heads for more than just a hat rack!  I am taking my life to the next level by attending a country music concert (I have never been to one!), hiking a new trail, trying a vegan diet for a week (well..at least for a few days), reading one of the classics that I overlooked growing up and taking in a kids movie (all of my boys are grown now).  Are you willing to take the challenge with me? I am going to do something different every day for the next 90 days and see what happens.  Please join me and let me know how you feel and if you see any changes to your life.

Enjoy!

DJ

Reference:
http://www.depressionbeater.com/Depression....WhyChangesOfRoutineCanHelp.pdf