MarkFord
“Good, close relationships appear to buffer us from the slings and arrows of getting old.” – Dr. Robert Waldinger
* In a study of 700 participants with varied incomes, social statuses, and family size, Dr. Robert Waldinger found that brain function declined sooner in those who were less satisfied in their relationships.
* A study of more than 3 million people over 20 years found that those who were not socially active increased their risk of mortality by 90%.
* Researchers at the University of Texas found consistent evidence that a low quality or amount of socializing contributes to the development and worsening of cardiovascular disease, repeat heart attacks, autoimmune disorders, high blood pressure, cancer, and slowed wound healing.
* The same researchers found that having a strong social circle reduces the damaging effects of stress on the brain. Whether it’s the sense of feeling loved, cared for, or listened to, they noted, close relationships improve mental health by fostering “a sense of meaning and purpose” in people’s lives.
gregarious (adjective)
A person who is gregarious (gruh-GARE-ee-us) is fond of company; sociable. As I used it today: “I am rich in friendships. Not because I’m a gregarious person. I’m not. But I do have an irrepressible curiosity about people and especially about people that are new to me.”
So much of what we assume to be true is bullshit, and the percentage is higher when it comes to politicized issues.
Here’s a good example: “Ford, GM don’t make the most ‘American-made’ car. Here’s who does” on Apple News.
Another lesson in smart salesmanship from Donald Miller
I met Richie Havens in the basement of The Right Track Inn, a bar on Long Island that I was a part of in the early 1970s.
It was a bucket of blood when Mike and Al bought it. Mike recruited Steve and me to rebuild it. Because we knew nothing about the bar business, we had no idea how much chaos and even mayhem we’d have to endure before we made the place safe. We spent several years doing everything we could think of to make it work, and finally it did.
We doubled the size of it and it became one of the three most successful rock and roll clubs on the island. Eventually, we were booking up-and-coming local bands like The Ramones as well as national acts that included Richie Havens.
His contract required a “green room.” We had no idea what that was. We found out 24 hours before he was due to appear. Since I was the (amateur) carpenter of our little group, I was appointed to build one in the basement.
Armed with some hand tools and a handful of speedballs, I worked 24 hours straight. A simple room would have sufficed, but this was Richie Havens. I made it a masterpiece of hippy decor, with beveled pine slats and interlude mirror on all the walls. I was finishing up the last slot when the door opened.
It was Richie Havens and his entourage. He frowned at first and my heart stopped. Then I like to think he noticed my sweat-stained shirt and my dilated pupils and he smiled. He was looking at my work and nodding his head in approval. “Groovy,” he said. “Groovy.”
As I scurried past him, head down, he put his hand on my shoulder. “Groovy,” he repeated.
Click HERE to watch a video of Richie Havens’s unforgettable rendition of “Freedom” at Woodstock in 1969.
“Without music, life would be a mistake.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
integrity (noun)
Integrity (in-TEH-grih-tee) is adherence to moral and ethical standards. As used by Dwight David Eisenhower: “The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.”
Fossils of horse teeth worn down by bridles indicate that horses were used as transportation 5,000 years ago. But they were almost certainly ridden without bridles long before that.