Guest Writers Blog

The time has come to downsize and move out of our home. It’s something we should have done five years ago, but procrastination came into play, mostly due to the one-of-a kind view we have from our backyard deck. The expansive 180-degree panorama includes West Valley, the airport, downtown Salt Lake City, the state capitol, University of Utah campus, Mt. Olympus, and Big Cottonwood Canyon. All in one turn of the head.

I’ve always loved science, but I became passionately interested in brain science and brain health when my husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2015. A lot has been learned about the brain in the past decade, and now there is something of a “brain health revolution” taking place.

As a teen, I spent hours each summer day planting weeding, picking, irrigating, or helping to can the fruits of the one-half acre garden and orchard that ran behind our house and four others on our dead-end street. For a family of nine children, the garden and orchard provided much-needed food all year long.

I played soccer for the first time during third grade recess in Burlington, VT. My favorite teacher introduced me to the sport (he is still proud of this fact and yes, we are still in touch), and I never looked back. I played through high school on a boys’ team, stopped once I went to university, and began again at the age of 27. I am now 54 and a true “soccer mom,” a mom who plays soccer.

If you’re retired or looking forward to the time when you will be, you’ve probably said there are things you want to do “while I still have my health.” I’ve been retired for almost 12 years, and I’m still saying it. However, I recently learned that “We don’t know what we don’t know” can apply to the degree of physical health and stamina we still have, as well as to our mental abilities, especially when it comes to international travel.