Guest Writers Blog

Parkinson’s Disease awareness has been raised by Emmy Award winning actor Michael J. Fox’s 32-year battle with the disease and his successful Michael J. Fox Foundation that has raised over a $1 billion for Parkinson’s research. But his age—30—when the symptoms began and all he has been able to accomplish and continues to do during that time is not typical of what many others with the disease experience. Like several neurological disorders, the initial symptoms and the progression can vary greatly from person to person.

Probably most people reading this—grandma or grandpa—adore their grandchildren. You anxiously awaited the birth of the first one and now you can’t see them nearly often enough to suit you. Oh, I know the old saying, “It’s great to have them come, and it’s great to have them go home.” But if the other grandparents I know are to be believed, their grandchildren are the light of their eyes and their grandchildren adore them! But I have no idea how many of you actually feel guilt about their grandparenting or lack thereof.

“Age is just a number” is a common saying among seniors. It’s said to us and by us. It’s sometimes meant to encourage us to do things we think we’re “too old to do,” or to justify things we are doing that others think people of a certain age really are too old to do. It can refer to the way we dress, the people we associate with, the places we travel, the cars we drive, the things that are still on our bucket list, ETC.

My mother got her college degree when she was almost 73 years old. She died of cancer before she turned 74. Was it worth it? I think she would say, “Definitely!” She participated in BYU’s remote education program in the 1990s, before virtual education and even email was a thing. This was made even more difficult because she was living in Brazil. All communication with professors and assignments had to be mailed back and forth.

I recently had my first encounter with AI as a writer. I was writing a website and the web designer sent me several biographical paragraphs about company staff members. The paragraphs were the product of Jasper, an artificial intelligence writing application.