Staying Close Without Daily Contact, How Diet May Improve Brain Health, and 5 High-Net-Worth Estate Planning Myths

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Fiction: Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley – When an unexpected incident disrupts a London train commute, a group of strangers begins forming unlikely friendships that transform their daily routines and personal lives.

History (Non-Fiction): Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies by Ben Macintyre – This gripping history reveals how Allied double agents deceived Nazi intelligence about the location of the D-Day invasion, helping secure one of World War II's most important victories.

Memoir: Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford – This moving memoir recounts a childhood shaped by poverty, family secrets, and an incarcerated father, exploring the complicated bonds between parents and children.

Self-Help: Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by David D. Burns – This influential guide introduces cognitive behavioral techniques for challenging negative thought patterns, managing depression and anxiety, and improving emotional well-being.

Romance: It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas – A spirited American heiress clashes with a proper English earl, only to discover that their mutual irritation conceals an increasingly irresistible attraction.

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Some friendships seem to pick up exactly where they left off regardless how much time has passed.

You may go several weeks without speaking, yet when the phone rings or you finally meet for coffee, there's no awkwardness and no need to explain the period of silence. Within minutes, you settle back into the familiar rhythm of your connection.

Staying close doesn't always require staying in constant contact. Sometimes a strong relationship is built on the simple knowledge that the other person will always be there when needed.

Not every friendship needs the same amount of contact.

One friend might be someone you speak with almost every day. Another might call every few weeks. Someone who lives farther away may be a person you see only a couple times a year.

Rather than measuring a friendship by how frequently you communicate, pay attention to what happens when you do. Can you talk openly? Do you remember what's happening in each other's lives? Are you genuinely pleased to hear from one another?

Those things say more about closeness than the overall number of interactions.

Staying connected between meetings doesn't require a lengthy phone call.

Send a photograph of something that reminded you of them. Mail a birthday card. Pass along the name of a book they'd enjoy. Call for ten minutes because you heard a song that brought back a funny memory.

These small gestures say, “You're still part of my life,” without creating an obligation for constant conversation.

One of the easiest ways to make a comfortable friendship feel complicated is to start counting who called whom last. Over time, this becomes a recipe for grievances, conflict, and resentment.

It is easy to assume intent behind silence, but that is far from always the case. Life becomes busy, routines change, and some people are simply better at initiating contact than others.

If you want to talk to someone, call them. If you miss them, suggest getting together. A good relationship doesn't always need perfectly equal bookkeeping.

Closeness isn't necessarily created by constant communication. It's created by trust, affection, shared history, and the confidence that a stretch of silence hasn't erased any of these qualities.

Some relationships need frequent tending. Others have roots deep enough to handle a little space. Both are equally valid and equally valuable.

We're looking for seniors who are embracing life with enthusiasm, purpose, and adventure. Whether you're traveling the world, starting a business, volunteering, pursuing a passion, learning new skills, or simply making the most of every day, we'd love to hear your story.

Think that might be you?

Email [email protected] with a photo and a short bio. We may feature you in an upcoming edition of Seniors Magazine.

There is no age at which you're too old to be a beginner.

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“The House Next Door”
From the life overview of Frank M., 84, Rochester, New York. Shared with permission.

When we moved into our house in 1968, the family next door had four children. They also had a dog named Duke. We had no children yet, so we allowed our neighbors’ children to treat our backyard as an extension of theirs.

They were constantly climbing the fence. My wife, Carol, didn’t mind, while I pretended not to.

One summer afternoon, I was trying to mow the lawn when the youngest boy, Tommy, appeared beside me.

“Can I drive?” he asked.

I told him no.

He asked why.

I said, “Because you’re six.”

He thought about it. Then he replied, “What if I sit on your lap?”

I told him that wasn’t happening either.

He gave up and went home.

Ten minutes later, his mother appeared at our back door.

“Frank,” she said, “Tommy says you won’t let him mow the lawn.”

“He’s six,” I reminded her.

“I know.” She started laughing.

Over the years, the children grew up. Tommy became a police officer, and his older sister worked as a nurse. The others moved to different states.

Meanwhile, we stayed in the same house.

Last year, Tommy came to visit. He is sixty-four now.

We stood in my backyard talking about those summers. Then he pointed at the lawn mower.

“You still have that thing?” he asked, sounding a bit surprised.

I told him it was a newer one.

He shook his head. “Shame.”

***

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There's much more to tea than choosing between black and green. From delicate white teas to earthy pu-erh and fragrant oolongs, exploring different varieties can become a surprisingly interesting hobby. Each tea has its own flavor, aroma, history, and traditional preparation methods.

You don't need expensive equipment or an elaborate tea ceremony to begin. A kettle, a cup, and a willingness to experiment are enough.

Traditional teas—black, green, white, oolong, yellow, and pu-erh—come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. Differences in processing, particularly oxidation, help create their distinctive flavors.

Black tea tends to be rich and robust, while green tea often has grassy or vegetal notes. White tea is generally delicate, and oolong can range from floral to deeply roasted.

For an introduction, explore Harney & Sons' tea varieties, where you can compare different styles, origins, and flavor descriptions.

Water temperature and steeping time can dramatically affect the taste of tea. Green and white teas often benefit from cooler water, while many black teas are brewed with water near boiling.

Steeping too long can produce bitterness or astringency, so follow the instructions for each tea rather than using the same method for everything.

The Art of Tea brewing guide provides recommendations for water temperature, steeping time, and preparation methods.

Choose three or four different teas and prepare small cups of each. Compare their colors, aromas, and flavors, paying attention to qualities such as sweetness, bitterness, floral notes, and earthiness.

A tea sampler collection is a convenient way to experiment without purchasing large quantities of unfamiliar varieties.

Keep a notebook with your impressions. You might discover that you prefer a malty Assam in the morning, a floral jasmine green tea in the afternoon, or a naturally caffeine-free rooibos in the evening.

Tea has inspired distinctive customs across cultures, from Japanese matcha preparation to British afternoon tea and Chinese gongfu brewing.

For a deeper look at traditional preparation, explore Japanese tea ceremony resources.

You can also experiment with loose-leaf tea using a simple basket infuser, which gives the leaves room to expand as they steep.

The pleasure of exploring tea is that there's always another variety, region, or brewing method to discover—and each new cup offers an opportunity to slow down and enjoy the experience.

Deleting a document, photo, or other file doesn't always erase it immediately. Most computers and cloud storage services temporarily hold deleted items, giving you an opportunity to recover them before they're permanently removed.

On Windows, open the Recycle Bin from your desktop. Find the missing file, right-click it, and select Restore. The file will return to its original location.

On a Mac, open Trash from the Dock. Right-click the file and choose Put Back.

If you just deleted a file, you may also be able to reverse the action immediately by pressing Ctrl + Z on Windows or Command + Z on Mac.

If the file was stored online, check the service's deleted-items folder.

Google Drive keeps trashed files for 30 days before automatically deleting them. OneDrive generally keeps deleted files for 30 days on personal accounts, while iCloud Drive typically allows recovery within 30 days.

Files deleted from USB drives or permanently emptied trash folders may be harder to recover.

For important documents, maintain a separate backup so accidental deletion doesn't mean permanent loss.

Today: San Diego, California

San Diego pairs a mild coastal climate with beaches, gardens, museums, and lively neighborhoods. There’s enough variety for a longer stay without feeling pressured to fill every hour.

Ingrid’s Tip: Don’t underestimate the size of San Diego. Group your sightseeing by neighborhood so you aren’t spending half your vacation going back and forth across the city. History buffs will especially enjoy the USS Midway, the legendary, aircraft carrier turned floating museum.

Unscramble the letters to find a famous person, event, or object. Think you know it? Reply with your answer and show off your brainpower.

Today’s clue: Small glass spheres collected, traded, and used in playground games.

BREAMLS

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