Page 204 - Mind Games The Aging Brain and How to Keep it Healthy

188 • Chapter 6

4. _____ Have you experienced a change in appetite that
has lasted more than two weeks?
5. _____ Are you not enjoying things you used to like to
do?
6. _____ Have you had two weeks of sleepless nights, or
are you sleeping more during the day?
7. _____ Do you find increased difficulty in being able to
concentrate or make decisions?
8. _____ Do thoughts of death occupy your mind?
9. _____ Have others told you that they think you are
behaving differently than usual?
10. _____ Do you have more than one (women) or two
(men) drinks of alcohol every day?
Count the number of “yes” answers. If you responded
“yes” to more than five of these, it is probably a good idea to
talk to your doctor about it.

There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your tal-
ents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of
the people you love. When you learn to tap this source,
you will truly have defeated age. — Sophia Loren

Positive creativity has myriad benefits to your well-be-
ing. But how can you become creative if you haven’t had
any practice doing that? Poetry is the answer. There is a sim-
ple ancient Japanese art form called the haiku (hK$co$o$). It is
characterized by the limitation that it contains exactly 17 syl-
lables. We are proud to introduce Happy Haiku as a positive
creative outlet. Happy Haiku also have exactly 17 syllables
but must express a positive sentiment. A Happy Haiku from
Sharon Mulgrew entitled “Happy Spring” follows.

One cherry blossom

on tree full of buds, “Over

here . . . like me!” Spring Starts