May 2026

May Thought of the Month

"Take time to learn what you need to learn so when you get where you're going, you'll be able to stay there."

~ Joyce Meyer

When we're young, our health is rarely front and center in our thoughts. But the older we get, the more concerned we become. We want to live long lives with as much of our youthful vitatlity and mental acuity as possible. For the latter, that means keeping our minds active and engaged. The best way to do that is to keep learning. Always, especially after retirement.

Who hasn't heard stories of retired people who faded once they stopped working. Our brains are designed to absorb knowledge and express it in our daily lives, and everything we see, hear, touch, even smell, contributes to that mental wellspring. Rich or poor, old or young, we need a healthy mind to live a healthy life.

The human mind is the most important factor in the quality of life at every age. Like every part of our bodies, the brain generates new cells daily. Studies have shown that the brain builds new pathways whenever we learn something, especially if it's relevant to our lives. This includes whatever we enjoy (crafts, hobbies, etc.) and things that spark our interest (reading good books, nurturing skills needed for a sideline or future lifestyle changes, learning about topics that inspires our curiosity, etc.). We have to find ways to feed our brains, and libraries serve as the grocery stores for our heads.

If you're like me, going to the library fell by the wayside as my life got busy. But this resource, free in most communities, is an excellent source for stimulating our minds. We can find books on virtually any topic we can think of, fiction in every genre, games, movies, even a quiet place to destress after a long, hard day. They've become centers for community engagement, provide Internet access and business services for patrons, even venues for authors to meet their fans and speakers seeking to educate us on a wide range of relevant topics.

Libraries are so much more than they were in my youth. Get or reactivate your public library card. It's time we all start making a library part of our ongoing learning strategy to prime our minds with what they need to give us a more vibrant future.

[Thought and image design by Elaine C. Oldham]