Optimum Life Blog: January 2012

How would you like to reduce your stress, relieve pain, contribute to brain health and improve your overall well-being -all with one activity? You might suspect where I am going with this…but you might not. Many of you probably guessed I would say exercise (especially if you know me very well), but alas, not this time. The benefits I listed above can be achieved through exercise but also through meditation.

We finally got our snow in Chicago. An average storm as winter storms go-5 to 7 inches when it was all said and done. Many folks around me groaned about it-driving in it is a pain, shoveling it even worse. The city streets are covered in slush, its cold outside, etc., etc, etc. I don’t deny any of these things-but we do live in Chicago-this happens every year.

Today is the day that we as a nation celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the inspirational civil rights leader. Perusing the many quotes attributed to Dr. King led me to the one above which really touched me as it relates to the men and women who work at Brookdale Senior Living. These folks take care of our residents day in and day out with compassion, respect excellence and integrity.

I love coffee - not only because it helps me feel more alert - but because it is part of a morning ritual for me. Those few minutes in the morning when I watch the morning news, chat with my husband and enjoy a fresh, hot cup of coffee bring me a daily dose of delight.