Trusting Your Judgment, Understanding Lewy Body Dementia, and Protecting Retirement From Market Swings

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History (Non-Fiction): G-Man by Beverly Gage – This sweeping biography examines J. Edgar Hoover’s life, his nearly five decades leading the FBI, and his enormous influence on American politics and law enforcement.

Memoir: The Girl Who Smiled Beads by Clemantine Wamariya and Elizabeth Weil – Clemantine Wamariya recounts surviving the Rwandan genocide, years as a refugee, and her difficult journey toward rebuilding a life in America.

Self-Help: The Gift of Years by Joan Chittister – Joan Chittister explores the challenges and opportunities of growing older, offering thoughtful guidance for finding purpose, meaning, and joy in later life.

Romance: The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros – A writer uncovers an unfinished World War II love story while navigating an unexpected romance of her own.

Business: The Sales Trap Prevention Playbook by Kelvin Johnson Jr. – This practical guide helps sales professionals recognize common pitfalls, strengthen their approach, and build more consistent sales success.

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There comes a point in life when many people find themselves relying a little less on what everyone else thinks and a little more on what they themselves have learned through experience. This shift is not a reflection of growing stubbornness or an assumption that you always have the right answer. Rather, it comes from recognizing that years of living have taught you something valuable.

Good judgment is never developed all at once. It is built one decision at a time.

Most people don't learn good judgment from reading or hearing about it. They learn it through trial and error—by making decisions, living with the results, and gradually recognizing patterns.

Over the years, you've probably experienced plans that worked beautifully, ideas that went awry, friendships that deepened over time, opportunities that looked promising but proved disappointing, and challenges that seemed insurmountable but which you overcame.

In this way, experience becomes a resource, with each experience contributing to your ability to make thoughtful decisions in the future.

Earlier in life, it's easy to feel pressured to make decisions quickly. As experience mounts, though, many people grow more comfortable allowing themselves time to think.

Sometimes the best response is a lack of one, at least for the time being. You might say, “Let me think about it,” or, “I’d like a little more time.”

Waiting isn't hesitation. It's wisdom. Decisions rarely become worse because they were given extra time and careful thought—rash, thoughtless ones, however, can’t be taken back.

One lesson that experience often teaches is that advice can be helpful without being definitive. Friends, family members, experts, and even acquaintances all have perspectives worth considering, but ultimately, no one else knows your priorities or circumstances as well as you do.

Listening carefully is important. So is recognizing when your own judgment should have the final say.

People who trust their own judgment usually understand something important: Even good decisions don't guarantee perfect outcomes. Sometimes things simply don't work out as planned.

Rather than seeing every setback as proof they made the wrong choice, experienced people view it as part of the learning process. They adjust, move forward, and carry those lessons into future decisions.

Confidence swells when you know you can recover after a stumble and still reach your destination.

There are moments when something simply doesn't feel quite right, even if it's difficult to explain:

While instincts aren't infallible, they're typically informed by years of accumulated experience. Sometimes it's worth paying attention to your inner voice before rushing ahead.

One of the interesting things about people who trust their own judgment is that they rarely feel the need to convince everyone else that they’re right. They can listen to different opinions, consider new information, evaluate their perspectives, and even change their minds when appropriate.

Their confidence doesn't come from always being certain. It comes from knowing they have the experience to think things through carefully.

That quiet confidence can be one of life's most valuable strengths.

Learning to trust your own judgment doesn’t mean having all the answers. Instead, it means you’ve recognized that a lifetime of experiences has given you a wisdom that deserves a place at the table whenever decisions need to be made.

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.

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“The Summer My Son Learned to Swim”
From the life overview of Robert K., 81, Sacramento, California. Shared with permission.

My son Michael was seven years old when he finally learned to swim. It was the summer of 1979, and by then, his five-year-old sister was already jumping into the pool without much hesitation.

Michael was terrified of the water.

Every Saturday, I took him to the public pool. We would start in the shallow end, with me holding his hands while he kicked. He would grip my fingers so tightly that my knuckles hurt. Whenever I suggested going a little farther out, he would shake his head.

One afternoon, after several weeks of this, I got distracted talking to another father. When I looked back, I saw that Michael had let go of the side of the pool.

He was floating.

For a few seconds, neither of us moved. Then he began paddling toward me. His face was completely serious. He ventured out about six feet before he swallowed some water and began coughing.

I reached for him and pulled him up.

With a proud look on his face, he asked, “Did you see me?”

I confirmed that I had.

“Did you see the whole thing?” he asked.

I said yes.

He thought about this for a moment and then said, “Good.”

After that, he wasn’t afraid anymore. By the end of the summer, he was diving off the low board.

Now at fifty-four, he still swims regularly. Every once in a while, when we’re at a hotel pool together and I see him enter the water, I still think about that six feet of swimming he achieved all those years ago.

***

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Cyber-Seniors offers live online programs ranging from smartphone lessons and technology help to exercise classes and guided meditation. Tech-savvy student volunteers also provide individual assistance when you have a specific question or problem. It’s a useful resource to bookmark for the next time your phone or computer decides to become unnecessarily mysterious.

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A rainy day is a good excuse to pull out a project you've been meaning to try—or discover something entirely new. The best indoor hobbies don't require a room full of equipment. Many can be started with supplies you already own and enjoyed for an hour or an entire afternoon.

If you like projects with a finished product, try knitting, crochet, embroidery, watercolor, or sketching. DMC's free patterns offer plenty of ideas for embroidery, cross-stitch, knitting, and crochet projects.

For something completely different, try origami. OrigamiUSA's diagram collection provides folding instructions for numerous projects, and all you need to begin is a square piece of paper.

Rainy weather is perfect for tackling a jigsaw puzzle, Sudoku, crossword, or strategy game. Jigsaw Explorer offers free online jigsaw puzzles, while Web Sudoku lets you choose among several difficulty levels.

You could also use the afternoon to learn something you've always been curious about. OpenLearn from The Open University provides hundreds of free courses covering history, science, languages, literature, psychology, nature, and more.

Instead of simply watching a movie or scrolling online, give yourself a small project. Organize a box of old photographs and write down the names and stories behind them. Learn three chords on an instrument. Try a new recipe. Start researching your family tree through FamilySearch, which provides free access to a large collection of genealogy records.

You can also explore thousands of public-domain books through Project Gutenberg and finally read a classic that's been sitting on your mental reading list.

The trick is to keep a few possibilities ready before the rain arrives. A half-finished puzzle, craft project, book, or online course can transform an afternoon stuck indoors into one you genuinely look forward to.

When an app asks to use your location, the request may be essential to what the app does—or simply an optional feature. Knowing the difference can help you protect your privacy without disabling useful services.

Some apps need your location to provide accurate information. A maps app uses it for turn-by-turn directions, while weather apps can provide a local forecast. Ride-share, food delivery, transit, and emergency-related apps may also need to know where you are.

Other requests deserve more scrutiny. A calculator, puzzle game, photo editor, or similar app usually doesn't need your location for its main purpose. Location information may instead be used for advertising, analytics, or optional features.

Your phone may offer choices such as Allow Once, While Using the App, or Always. For most apps, While Using the App is a good middle ground: the app gets your location when you're actively using it but not continuously in the background.

You can change your decision later in your phone's Privacy or Location Services settings. Periodically reviewing which apps have location access is a simple way to prevent unnecessary tracking.

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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: Popular 1950s dance party often held in a school gym.

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