Dear Reader:

Wednesday when I stopped by Mandy’s house (before we all went to the fund-raiser) Mandy and I took a moment to take Jakie outside to see the herons. He loves watching the birds…especially when they are eating and tossing fish high in the air before gulping them down. He laughs and laughs!

As we grow older…we complain that time is moving faster…There are actually three ‘scientific’ reasons for this feeling…but before we look at these…a quick hint: Stop and watch the herons!

Life does move fast…more the reason to slow it down with magical moments of observations captured in pictures.

Yesterday I spent the morning dropping off team photos for the Summerville Race for the Cure participants…(to have  as a keepsake)…

Lassie’s across the street neighbor has her house decorated so creatively…you can tell she has small children. Adorable! They are in the “spirit.”

Want to slow down life…slow down your to-do list by taking time to take photos of decorative holiday homes.

When you pass something (while driving) that makes you slam on brakes…don’t second guess yourself…pull in!

Bombadil’s Garden & Gifts is one of my favorite places because I always love talking to Peggy…her faith shines through in every aspect of her nursery….On her Facebook page she says:

FROM THE TEACHER DESK: Business person! Don’t use your faith in GOD to promote your business, rather use your business to promote your faith in GOD. 

(And Peggy does just this! We took pictures of each other beside one of the gargantuan mums at the nursery yesterday…. several of her 8 ” mums are reduced to $2. 50 each.. and even the gigantic 3 quart mums run from $12.99 to 14.99 depending on the mixture of colors within each container!)

Always stop to admire the beauty around you…because for that very moment the world stops spinning while peace and quietude fills your exhausted soul.

From HuffPost Healthy Living (Oct 22, 2015) the following article provides some recent scientific research why the older we get the faster it seems that time flies.

Why Life Goes Faster As You Grow Older: Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D. (President and Medical Director, Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation)

Do you have the sense that life is speeding up the older you get? If so, you’re not alone.
Can there be a reason for this perception? I’ve discovered three scientific theories that shine a little light on this mysterious experience.

1. The first is a phenomenon called “telescopy.”Telescopy is simply the underestimation of time. It’s as though you’re looking through a telescope where the details of what you see give you the impression that an object in the distance is much closer than it actually is. Because of telescopy, our brains recall distant events as if they occurred only yesterday.

For example, at 67, I can’t believe that 43 years have passed since The Beatles broke up. Indeed, every time I see Sir Paul McCartney on TV performing old Beatles tunes like “Hey Jude,” I’m amazed. Why? To me it seems as if 1970 was not that long ago.

2. The second reason that time seems to be going faster as you get older is called the reminiscence effect. You can think of it as a series of memory bumps in your life. Emotionally-charged events — your first kiss, going to college, getting married, having your children, having a grandchild or losing someone dear — are recorded in more vivid detail than what we might call “regular events,” which just pass by in a blur.

The problem is that, as time marches on, life may become more routine, more mundane. Hence, you create fewer memory bumps, which give you the feeling that time is moving very quickly.

3. The third theory is the aging of your brain’s biological clock. Named the SCN (for suprachiasmatic nucleus), it’s found in a very special gland called the hypothalamus located behind the middle of your forehead. The hypothalamus is also known as your brain’s brain and controls the release of a number of important, youth-maintaining hormones.

Moreover, this little spot (about the size of a pencil point) sends signals  to each and every one of your 30 trillion cells, telling them that either all is well or, conversely, that you’re stressed. The latter has an aging effect throughout your body, including your genes.

These signals influence the length of your telomeres at the end of your chromosomes. Telomeres are the caps of your DNA and are exquisitely sensitive to stress. Think of them as like the tips of a shoelace.

As the lace ages, it becomes frayed, damaged, and shortened. For you, stress equals shorter telomeres and accelerated aging. Conversely, less stress equals increased telomere size and a longer life.

But there’s HELP!

• Slow Down -In our over-caffeinated, hyper-connected and intense world, I believe we can use some time to simply relax. Stop and breathe deeply a few times throughout the busy hours of your day.
• Meditate-Our studies at the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation reveal that you can impact positively your telomeres, as well as claim many other health benefits, in only 12 minutes a day.
• Experience life with all your five senses-Go for a nice nature walk and take a look at what is all around you. Notice the sky, the trees, and the clouds.
• Really taste your food and be wholly alive. Be grateful. This will help you enjoy a more meaningful life, complete with the creation of new and exciting memory bumps. You will gain peace of mind, a rare and beautiful commodity in today’s hectic world.

So until tomorrow….Slow down and smell whatever you want to smell… roses, gardenias, tea olive bushes, spaghetti, pot roast, a precious little baby….the key two words here is simply “SLOW DOWN” and feel life.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Here are the three mums that I got from Peggy at Bombadils yesterday….one hanging basket ( To put by the bottle tree to add some more color- 9.99) and two $2.50 (8 ” mums) for the garden. Great deal!

Happy Birthday to Joan Turner, my friend-in-law(love)! John’s mom is having a birthday today….Happy Birthday my talented, artistic friend…I hope it turns out to be a day filled with wonder and joy!

Aren’t we some lucky grandmothers?