Friendship in Later Life, Hobbies That Support Brain and Body Health, and Ways to Boost Your Safe Withdrawal Rate

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Earlier in life, friendships often grew out of proximity — work, school, parenting, or shared schedules. Later in life, those structures fall away. What remains isn’t the number of interactions, but the quality of connection when it happens.

Many strong later-life friendships don’t involve constant contact. A monthly lunch, a weekly phone call, or a seasonal visit can carry more weight than frequent casual interactions. These conversations often go deeper because they aren’t rushed. There’s time to listen fully, reflect, and speak honestly.

Long-standing friendships benefit from shared memory. You don’t need to explain the backstory — the other person already knows it. A single reference to a past job, family event, or turning point carries meaning without elaboration. That shared history creates immediacy, even after long gaps between visits.

Depth often shows up as comfort. Sitting together quietly, repeating familiar stories, or discussing ordinary days without needing to entertain each other becomes enough. There’s less pressure to “catch up” and more space to simply be present.

Depth comes from knowing how someone shows up. A friend who remembers important dates, checks in after a difficult appointment, or respects your boundaries builds trust over time. These consistent behaviors matter more than the frequency of contact.

Some friendships become phone-based, others in-person, others occasional but enduring. Allowing relationships to exist in different forms prevents disappointment and preserves connection. Depth isn’t about intensity — it’s about mutual understanding.

Depth-based friendships feel steadier and less draining. They honor energy, respect change, and often grow richer with time.

“Waiting for the Second Bell”
From the life overview of Eleanor M., 88, Madison, Wisconsin. Shared with permission.

In the old high school auditorium, the first bell was only a suggestion. It told you to stop talking, to gather yourself, and to pretend you were ready. The second bell was the one that actually mattered. That was when the lights dimmed, and whatever you were planning had to wait.

I spent more evenings there than I can count where the acoustics were best. Usually, I was seated a little off-center. Sometimes I was there for concerts, other times for plays, and often just because my daughter was on stage and wanted the opportunity to spot me in the crowd. I always arrived early because I liked the hush before things began.

There was a particular moment I came to treasure—the few seconds after the first bell, when conversations dropped into murmurs, and people shifted in their seats. Programs rustled. A person cleared their throat. The room felt suspended, as if holding its breath along with me.

Life doesn’t offer many second bells. Most things begin whether you feel ready or not. But sitting there, hands folded in my lap, I could believe for a moment that there was always time to settle yourself before what came next.

Even now, when I find myself waiting—at a desk, in a quiet room, or anticipating a difficult conversation—I think of that pause between bells. It reminds me that waiting is its own small, complete experience—and sometimes, it’s the best part.

***

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Radio Garden
Radio Garden presents a simple interactive globe that lets you tune into live radio stations from nearly anywhere in the world. Turning the dial across continents can be a surprisingly absorbing way to hear local music, news, and voices that rarely reach American airwaves.

NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
Since 1995, NASA has published a single photograph of the cosmos each day, accompanied by a brief explanation written by professional astronomers. The images range from distant galaxies to subtle atmospheric phenomena, offering a quiet moment of perspective beyond the day’s headlines.

Book of the Day: My Life in France
by Julia Child and Alex Prud’homme
In this warm and vivid memoir, Julia Child recounts the years she and her husband spent in postwar France, where a single unforgettable meal sparked her lifelong passion for cooking. Through lively stories of markets, cooking school at Le Cordon Bleu, and the friendships that shaped her journey, she reveals how curiosity and perseverance led to the creation of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The result is a charming portrait of discovery, food, and the joyful pursuit of a calling.

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It’s common to hand your phone or tablet to a friend, family member, or even a store employee—for example, to show photos, make a call, or get help with a setting. But because these devices hold personal information like emails, photos, banking apps, and passwords, it’s smart to take a few simple precautions before passing it over.

Start by locking your device with a passcode, fingerprint, or face recognition if you haven’t already. Both Apple and Android devices make this easy:

Before handing someone your device, open the app you want them to use first. For example, if you’re showing photos, open the Photos app so they don’t need to browse around your device.

You can also temporarily close sensitive apps. Double-tap your home button (or swipe up on newer phones) and swipe away apps like email, banking, or messaging so they aren’t visible.

If you’re especially cautious, turn on Airplane Mode so no calls, messages, or notifications appear while someone else is using the device.

Another simple habit: stay nearby. Most quick tasks only take a moment, so there’s no need to leave your device unattended.

If you’d like stronger control, modern devices allow you to lock the phone to a single app.

On Apple devices, the feature is called Guided Access, which keeps the phone locked inside one app until you enter your passcode. On Android devices, the similar feature is called Screen Pinning, which lets you “pin” one app so the person using your phone cannot switch to anything else.

These tools are especially helpful if you’re letting a grandchild play a game, showing photos to a friend, or handing your phone to someone for directions. Once the feature is turned on, the person cannot open other apps, read messages, or browse your private information.

With a few small habits and the right settings, you can safely share your device when needed—without worrying that someone might accidentally wander into your personal information.

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