Have you ever been inside an MRI scanner? I recently got in one and it was quite the experience. After a short introduction to the process, including a question about whether I was claustrophobic, they gave me earplugs – because it’s NOISY inside the machine, yes, in capitals – and then they proceeded to slide […]
Scientific Practice
Describe your current level of pain using the scale below. Use the scale below to indicate your current level of happiness. Rate your degree of agreement for the following statement using either a 4-, 6-, or 11-point scale of your choosing from strongly disagree to strongly agree. “I lead a purposeful and meaningful life.” From […]
Quests A quest is a journey or mission to some goal, usually fraught with obstacles, twists and turns, and hopefully, some epiphanies along the way. Neil Armstrong. Harry Potter. Indiana Jones. Katniss Everdeen. Merida. Dorothy. Each individual had their individual quests for exploration, peace, facts, freedom, home, or truth, while others, like myself, sought education […]
Have you ever had the experience of talking with someone and partway through, you realize that while you both might be using the same vocabulary, what you mean is quite different? Sometimes, this comes from a generational gap. Slang words change frequently, and some words don’t have the same meaning that they once did. For […]
Does anyone remember how to write a check these days? I imagine some people reading this post might be scratching their heads and wondering what a check is. In today’s world, where paper and hard currency are quickly being replaced with credit cards, and checks are mostly obsolete due to Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal, one […]
Do you ever have trouble recognizing a familiar face? I do from time to time. But frankly, I was surprised to know that there are individuals for whom this is beyond an occasional nuisance, and it profoundly affects their social and emotional lives because of a neurological condition called prosopagnosia. I first heard of prosopagnosia […]
There are some memories you wish you could forget. I wish I could forget the time in high school when, during the finals of a debate tournament, I accidentally spent an entire speech in front of an auditorium packed with people making arguments in favor of the opposing team’s side. While the loss of this […]
According to Google, there are approximately 2.2 billion mothers in the world. On average, a woman of reproductive age is likely to have 2.5 children across her lifetime. According to ourworldindata.org, the global fertility rate varies substantially across countries as seen in the graphic below. Mothers, Madres, Mamas Women account for 49.5% of our world’s […]
November is here. The leaves changed from green into vibrant yellows, oranges, and reds and carpeted the streets. The air chilled, so my winter clothes reappeared, replacing my summer clothes, as I braced myself for the colder months ahead. Root vegetables supplanted fresh salads on my menus. For me, an American in the UK, November […]
How stressed do you feel right now? To find out, take this assessment. I scored an 8, which puts me in the “you are stressed” category. I am not too surprised with my result given my own midlife status with two emerging adult children and too many responsibilities while attempting to return to “normal” in […]