seniors aging gracefully

here is an excerpt from my book

IF I DIE BEFORE I LEARN TO SPEAK WILL MONEY PAY FOR ALL THE DAYS I LIVED AWAKE BUY HALF ASLEEP – Primitive Radio Gods

According to AI, the phrase “there’s a fine line between genius and insanity” suggests that “highly creative, intelligent people often have unconventional thoughts or behaviors that border on madness, with a thin boundary separating groundbreaking ideas from delusion”. Here is my story about walking that line. Before embarking on this journey with me, you may be wondering if my former comment suggests that I am a flaming narcissist, that I consider myself to be a genius, a term that is far too casually employed. I do believe, and being an neuropsychologist I have some understanding of this, that I have a well developed prefrontal cortex which is the part of the brain that is crucial for genius-level intelligence, acting as a “connector hub” for fluid intelligence and cognitive control. Research has shown that it links diverse brain regions to solve complex problems. But I will freely confess that I have gaps in my cognitive abilities, I can’t spell for the life of me, just like my mom I can’t pronounce Venezuela, and I probably sing off key. Still, I am 71 and studies show that only 30% of the elderly retain intact cognitive abilities so if my writing falters at times, give me a break, I’m just an old lady with a tale to tell.

Before you proceed, I need to caution you, dear reader, that I am prone to loose associations and my thinking tends to gravitate towards stream of consciousness so when you encounter passages in my memoir that are difficult to understand, just move on.

To clarify what I meant in the first paragraph. I will digress and share some of what I know about the IQ test, a test I administered and interpreted literally countless times. It clearly has its limitations, it fails to assess abilities that often contribute to amazing success in life, abilities such as physical agility, musical skills, charisma, and empathy. These are skills that can be characterized as biological intelligence though obviously related to brain functioning, and I would be remiss if I did not include the sense of smell, a little researched ability clearly crucial for survival, ask a cat or dog. On the topic of the IQ test, I cannot fail to remark upon the fact that IQ scores have notably declined in recent years, certainly disconcerting.

Being a senior citizen, I cannot hide from the glaring evidence of my declining abilities – I have hearing loss, nighttime driving is challenging, and there are times when I go into a room and forget why the hell I went into that room in the first place. An aside, that is due to declines in working memory, a skill also associated with the prefrontal cortex. I guess I need to start exercising my brain in addition to my body. Often I compare getting old to the The Myth of Sisyphus, a 1942 philosophical essay by Albert Camus. To again quote from AI, the short treatise “explores absurdism, the conflict between humanity’s search for meaning and the universe’s silent indifference. Using the Greek myth of Sisyphus—condemned to eternally push a boulder up a hill—as a metaphor for the human condition, Camus argues that life’s meaninglessness doesn’t justify suicide but calls for rebellion, freedom, and embracing the struggle itself, famously concluding, “The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy””. Camus’ writings have always resonated with me. Another aside, I am fond of asides, as of this writing in March, 2026, a study was recently published that found that folks whose cognitive abilities remain fairly intact in old age, have increased activity in the hippocampus, the area of the brain that stores memory, especially emotionally charged memories. So keep on remembering your childhood, recount great tales of your childhood years to your grandchildren.

Before I embark on this journey of self exploration I need your opinion, am I enabling (as some have characterized my relationship with my son), my cat Arlo, turning him into a drug crazed kitty. I have been giving him catnip for days now, he begs for it. While catnip typically makes cats more active, it has made my buddy more laid back, dare I say contemplative, go figure. First I need to acknowledge Arlo’s support in this writing process. There have been times when, while rehashing my past, I found myself crying uncontrollably; then Arlo would run from the other room, jump on my lap and try to comfort me as best as he could. Cats have an incredible ability to read people’s emotional state.

it is available on Amazon but they are charging way more than I wanted so if you want a copy, I can email you a PDF version