Relax the mind and get more out of it!

I often tell people that I do indolence very well!  Sit me down watching ducks on the river...leave me to listen to the waves on a beach and I'll happily evacuate the thinking parts of my brain!

I will admit that I have often felt a bit guilty about it. But not anymore!! ... and huge thanks for that go to the brilliant researchers at The University of North Carolina!
In a report published in the April issue of Consciousness and Cognition  the Research Team lead by Fadel Zeidan suggest that meditation leads to significant improvements in cognitive skills...with impressive results being achieved with single 20 minute training sessions over just 4 days.  Whilst meditation and enhanced awareness aren't a new concept...achieving results in this accelerated way is seen as a big break through. It makes the prospect of enhanced cognitive ability much more available to modern man (and me) who hasn't the time for "monastic" style meditation.
Reading this did stir up some of my own fanciful thinking (research would be a bit of a posey term to use) on this whole issue of deep thought. When you come to realise what a small amount of our brain we actually use, it does make you wonder that if we were to try a bit harder could we  access and use the "untapped" areas?  Of course there has been plenty of research to indicate that we can...and many of life's "deep thought" pheomena seem to point in the same direction. For example:
It appears that our subconsious memory is "millions of times" larger than the conscious part. Information, values, fears, beliefs, natural responses are all buried deep within it.
We know that we can "mine" those depths when brain patterns slow down through Alpha state into Theta state. So is hypno-therapy actually a form of facilitated meditation...both achieving similar outcomes?
Are the instances of faith healing we hear of simply examples of the intense concentration that occurs in prayer prompting the mind to trigger its own "miracle cure."  A very candid Harley Street consultant once told me "belief in recovery was 50% of most cures."
Is prayer itself just a form of meditation? Listening to friends talking about Buddhism and enlightenment makes me think so. With a little understanding (which I admit) of  Shamanism, "local" religions of the world, and Transcendental Meditation I see prayer, meditation and trance all closely aligned. So are spiritual belief and enhanced mental strength the same thing really?
And what about the "alleged" memory decline of advancing years? Is that nothing more than the mine getting deeper and fuller... and it just takes a bit longer to bring stuff to the surface? I reckon so...we just need to stretch the probe a bit further.
So as well as enjoying the regular fix of eggs for the choline, blueberries for the polyphenols and red wine for the resveratrol...all helping to keep the brain chemicals in good shape... let's have a serious crack at this meditation lark!
Who's to say what wonderous new talents and capabilities we might unearth?
And what about all that stored experience and wisdom?  So many gems...waiting to be mined!
Right then!  ... I'm off to meditate. Think I'll find some waves to watch. Better keep hold of my shoes...I forgot where I left them last time!! 

Grey and proud of it!

AOL did one of their Top 10 lists last week...this time on celebrities who were happy (or not) to be grey. Inevitably George Clooney was listed as the champion "grey." And of course Sir Tom Jones was there.  It was great when he simply said that he "got fed up dying it!"
And it prompts me to go on again about the theme of my last blog -staying young and trendy. Because when it comes to hair I've had my challenges.
I had to deal with thinning hair when only 19! But fashion was kind. It was the "mod" era and with my Perry Como crew cut I was right at the edge of that trend.
70's fashions were not so kind. Keeping abreast of the longer hair look with an ever widening centre parting made me look like Huckleberry Hound.  But I had to be "with it" ...and I loved the wonderfully smelling Cossack hair spray!  Can you have an iconic smell? Guess not!.
Then career progression and conforming with the "corporate executive look" intervened...and the ridiculous spaniels ears morphed into a "Tom Selleck" style moustache. This was good because facial hair was thought to divert attention from baldness. Not that I needed to worry because attention to my baldness was unselfishly diverted by the numerous Bobby Charlton look-alikes. These were the guys who parted their hair one inch above the ear and carefully laid a one-piece mat of lacquered hair across to the other ear.
But the onset of greying was difficult for me. And at the time...as a prematurely ageing member of a young man's world the Tom Selleck moustache had to quickly go. And yes...I experimented with substances as greying men do....I tried the Grecian 2000! But with concerns. Did it really look natural? And was I smelling to others as bad as the Grecian 2000 smelt to me? I gave up on it pretty quickly and decided that "premature greying...resulting from on-going chronic slipped disc pain" was how I was going to deal with it among my peers.
Then I had something of an "epiphany" when meeting a German couple on holiday. With shared interest on the subject Thomas told me "in Germany we have a saying...that you can trust the man with white hair!"
So having anguished about my hair....and succumbed to ageism... and  the admitted substance experimentation...I was shown the light (or the white??)
Now my attitude is.... Refuse to be embarrassed about your age. Be totally honest with yourself...because others probably see and respect that honesty.
Ok if you're a celeb' and need to de-age for a part that's fine.  But wacking on the black to look young just isn't cool. So cheers Sir Tom for championing "proud to be grey!" ....oh and I'd get rid of the beard too if I was you.
By the way.... has anybody noticed that very few leading politicians have white hair??

They don't write songs like they used to

Why doesn't today's Lifebuoy bath soap have that fantastic fresh smell the old pink tablet had in the 50's?

Why doesn't Daddies Sauce taste as wonderful as it did when I was a kid?
Why is it nothing is as good today as it was when I was young?

Well it could be that this belief that things were better in the good old days is false because it's actually a manifestation of a need to belong... according to research by psychologists at Arizona Stayte University and published in a recent edition of the Journal of Consumer Research.

The researchers studied the behaviour of people who took part in group exercises and were then suddenly excluded. It seems that those excluded all exhibited a strong need to reconnect socially, and at the same time they showed a preference for the nostalgic option of products that they were offered. As well as feeling happier with familiar things such as food and toiletry brands and TV shows, one experiment actually saw nostalgic cookies curing the feelings of exclusion.  Interestingly, those that remained in the various games suffered none of these feelings of exclusion or need for nostalgic comforters.

All of which got me wondering about my nostalgic preferences...

Like, was 60's pop music the best? Or do I think that way when I'm feeling socially excluded?

Since I always think that 60's pop music is best does that mean I'm always feeling socially excluded?

Do my contemporaries who "dig" current pop music genuinely feel socially included?

Or are they faking both...music preference and social inclusion?

You see...I've always had a thing about being overly trendy. It's one of the subtle elements of OnWeGo philosophy. Stay young in body, mind and outlook, absolutely....but don't look ridiculous in the process. And to me nothing looks or sounds so ridiculous as a couple of "there-abouts 50 year olds" in their hoodies and cargo pants (where were the skateboards?) ...describing a recent Kaiser Chief's Concert as "like it was... flossin man!"  They are about as cool as grannie used to be when saying "it's all the rage you know!"

What were those brilliant lyrics of that Kink's classic?

                                                                                                                                                             "Eagerly pursuing all the latest fads and trends 

'cause he's a dedicated follower of fashion

 Yes, I'm entirely convinced that social inclusion or approval should have nothing whatsoever to do with what we choose to like. As to whether I feel socially excluded or in need of nostalgic comfort?

I'll just give myself a quick test:

Are today's rock stars as good as the likes of Bowie, Ferry, or Lennox?

NO WAY!

Are today's fashions as stylish as the 60's?

NO

Are today's footballers as good as those going back to the 60's?

ABOUT THE SAME 

Are today's movies and TV programmes as good as those going back to the 60's? 

THEY'RE PROBABLY BETTER

Is Doctor Who's new assistant the best ever?     

ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT ABOUT IT!!!!

Well I think that shows a nice preference spread for old and new...so clearly no social exclusion problems for me!

Now what am I in this week.... polka dots or stripes?

                                                                                          







                                                           

How good a grand-parent am I?

I caught part of the interview on this morning's breakfast TV covering the launch of Family Life A grandparent's guide to supporting families through difficult times. Published by the charitable organisation GrandparentPLus, the guide offers tips and advice on how to handle all the "difficult issues" that can arise within the parent, grand-parent and child relationship.
My first reaction as I watched this was of slight surprise. I asked myself  "Do grand-parents need advice on how to fulfill their role?  Am I nothing less than supremely wise in all aspects of being a parent and grand-parent?"

Further reflection had me seeing it differently.  Of course as a parent I would have been nothing like as certain of my abilities. And the grand-parent wisdom thing is a lot to do with not being accountable. Whatever you do and say, you don't live with its consequences... because come going-home time you give the little ones back.

And personally speaking...having got off to an early start  as both parent and grand-parent, I find that these days my behaviour and attitudes have a decidely "retro" feel about them. Possibly a reaction to the missed opportunities of my youth? 

So for all sorts of reasons some of us grand-parents will be anything but wise elders. Frequently causing untold anguish to our long-suffering children who silently tolerate us because of a mixture of love and commonsense realisation that we're pretty handy at times.

I think what the guide tells us is that grand-parenting needs to be taken seriously... and stumbling around intuitively may not be good enough!. Clearly what it does give is valuable advice on how to handle those difficult issues and a big thanks for that to GrandparentsPlus.

So I shall be reading the downloaded guide. I've had a quick look and here are Editor Denise Robertson's Top 10 Tips:

1. Your opinion counts, so be careful how you give it.
2. Try to keep communicating, even when it’s difficult.
3. Remember to listen, sometimes that’s enough.
4. Know what the boundaries are and don’t overstep them.
5. Respect and try to understand each other’s point of view.
6. Focus on the children.
7. In disputes try to be on the side of the family as a whole.
8. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
9. Remember your needs matter too.
10. Try to enjoy being a grandparent – it is different and special.

 I'm having lunch on Easter Sunday with all the family. Not a difficult occasion of course (unless the ex turns up!)  But to live and learn what these Top 10 Tips mean I shall print them off and "assess" myself.

 I shall report back in due course.