Odd "ice hack" torches 13 lbs

His courage and strength are notable, as is the loving way he describes his experiences.

In today’s issue:

  • Odd "ice hack" torches 13 lbs

  • Discovery over recovery

  • A thirst for knowledge

  • Curiosity saved the cat

Odd "ice hack" torches 13 lbs

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Discovery over recovery

There are a lot of things about Frank’s story that might catch your attention. It’s not a short story: he’s been through a great deal, and his recovery process is not an easy one.

In 2019 he suffered a series of six strokes in fairly quick succession, and they changed his life forever.

His courage and strength are notable, as is the loving way he describes his experiences. But with every passing paragraph, it became a story about the real purpose of a mindfulness practice.

It’s great when mindfulness can get you through an hour of traffic without losing your cool, but what about losing your sense of space and time? And for months on end?

In the interview, Frank takes us through his strokes and his life afterward. He’s very clear about the challenges of recovering from his strokes, including explaining why he doesn’t love the word “recovery” when he knows he can’t regain all of his previous function.

But Frank's story is not about his strokes as much as it’s about the ways in which his decades of mindfulness practice got him through this dark night of the soul. Including the days it was not quite enough, and he succumbed to the sadness.

It’s an important story because it cuts through the BS. It’s not that our day to day lives are trivial, but something big can change your life forever and you're left with what really matters.

Your close relationships, and your ability to participate in life. Not sitting in traffic, but learning new things and discovering what you’re capable of even after you thought you were done growing.

From Frank: “I may never recover the capacities I lost but I am interested in seeing what this experience of stroke and its aftermath might show me about myself and life. This is my path now, to keep discovering. Curiosity promotes a quality of resilience which is very helpful. It doesn’t require hope that I will one day recover everything I’ve lost. It requires only that I trust and continue to be open and be willing to not know.”

A Thirst For Knowledge

Learning new things is possibly one of the most human things we can do. We are set up to do so, it allows us to adapt to and survive in our environment. New information is like food for the brain or water.

In this article we learn about the types of curiosity, how essential curiosity is for gathering information, and how we really do have a thirst for knowledge. In fact, it’s right up there with food and sex, making humans informavores.

Curiosity Saved the Cat

When you read this article on neural plasticity and what kinds of activities lend themselves to it, you might find yourself feeling like a house cat.

Because some of the main ways to promote longevity and neural plasticity in yourself is with sleep, exercise, and play. In a use it or lose it kind of scenario, the brain and the body need to be needed.

In a nutshell, a car runs better if you don’t leave it sitting for too long. Here are some ways to embrace your inner house cat.

More on longevity: why should curiosity affect how long somebody lives? From this post on BrainHQ, we learn from Dr. Mezenich that from a neurological perspective, curiosity and a commitment to learning and trying new things, especially from middle age onward, is absolutely crucial for a person’s health and longevity.

For some honest grappling with aging, and some tips on maintaining a youthful openness to life and new experiences, here’s a personal piece from the founder of Ageist.

And for the listeners, a podcast on the importance of community and curiosity for longevity. Scroll down for time stamps and in-depth episode descriptions!