friendship

The Social Brain & Dementia

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Connection Over Isolation: Friends Protect Your Memory

Loneliness shrinks the brain — friendship keeps it alive and thriving.

Humans are wired for connection, and the brain thrives in social networks. Loneliness and isolation are linked to higher risks of dementia, while strong relationships protect against decline.

A long-term study of over 10,000 participants found that those with strong social ties had a 26% lower risk of developing dementia (Kuiper et al., Ageing Research Reviews, 2015). Social interaction stimulates memory, language, and emotional regulation — all protective functions.

It’s not about the number of friends but the quality of connections. Meaningful conversations, laughter, and belonging all fuel brain resilience.

Action Step: Call or meet one friend today. Even a brief chat can strengthen your brain’s defense system.

The Kindness Test: What a Friend’s Text Taught Me About Integrity

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True character isn’t revealed in big speeches—it’s shown in small, thoughtful actions. Like a text that says, “Don’t pick me up—I care about you.

You can tell the kind of person you are dealing with by their actions. I’ll give you a good example. One of my neighbors is an exceptionally good and caring person. A few weeks back I took her to the airport to catch a flight to Paris. She was going on an European vacation. It was an extended vacation, nearly 3 weeks. She shared lots of photos with clpse neighbors. I’m sure we were all envious of the fun and adventures she was having. When I dropped her off at the airport, I told her to text me a couple days before she was heading home and let me know the time of her flights so I could pick her up. Here is the action that describes the kind of person she is. She text me and said that during the past week, she had both bronchitis and Covid. She was sure she’s not contagious any longer, but she didn’t want me to take a chance and to get either bronchitis or Covid. She told me not to pick her up. She’d take a cab home. That is an act of thoughtfulness and kindness. She could have thought,  I’m OK now I don’t have to say anything. She did, however, have the integrity to mention it and to take action. I’m happy I have friends like her. People you can trust and count on. I hope you have many of them as well.

Today’s Quote: We All Need a Friend

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“Don’t walk in front of me… I may not follow
Don’t walk behind me… I may not lead
Walk beside me… just be my friend”
― Albert Camus

Healthy Tips:

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Over the next five days this blog post will focus on building trust in romantic and friendship relationships. A healthy sustainable relationship contributes to good health and longevity.

Be Consistent and Reliable. Trust is built over time by showing up and following through on your words. Why it matters: Trust grows when people know they can count on you.

Romantic Relationship Example:

If you tell your partner you’ll be home by 7 PM for dinner, show up on time or let them know in advance if you’re running late. Consistency in small actions reassures your partner that they can rely on you.

Friendship Example:

If you promise to help your friend move on Saturday, don’t cancel last minute. Being dependable shows your friends they can trust you in both small and big moments.

The Mark of a True Friend

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Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your hear ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Reflection: Friends Matter

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I recently bought a Tesla, my first electric car. I only took two test drives in the Tesla. I wanted to buy it to prove to myself I could learn the technology and enjoy what an electric car has to offer. Fortunately, I have a friend. He and has wife live one street over. My friend and his wife both have a Tesla. He volunteered to go with me to Tesla on the day I picked up my car. Imagine that. He sat in the car with me for an hour in the Tesla lot going over every setting and subsetting. When I drove out of the Tesla lot, I felt as if I’d been driving a Tesla for years. Good friends are a treasure. If you have good friends, let them know how grateful you are for their friendship. A gentle reminder, friendship is a two-way street. We help each other out when we are in need.

A Friend ~ A Poem by Edgar Albert Guest

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A Friend

Edgar Albert Guest

A friend is one who stands to share
Your every touch of grief and care.
He comes by chance, but stays by choice;
Your praises he is quick to voice.

No grievous fault or passing whim
Can make an enemy of him.
And though your need be great or small,
His strength is yours throughout it all.

No matter where your path may turn
Your welfare is his chief concern.
No matter what your dream may be
He prays your triumph soon to see.

There is no wish your tongue can tell
But what it is your friend’s as well.
The life of him who has a friend
Is double-guarded to the end.

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Today’s Poem: Friendship by Salomeja Neris

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Friendship

Salomeja Neris

Let prophets curse, this world despising,
Until their bloodless lips turn blue!
My friendship – like the sun arising,
Like longing – I extend to you.

In pitch-dark night we often blunder
The clouded skies seem never bright.
And yet I cannot help but wonder:
Why is the earth so full of light?

It’s not the sun that we so cherish
That every morning brings us light.
It is the dawn of our great friendship
That fills us brimful of delight!

It keeps this world and us still going,
It keeps all songs alive and gay.
For friendship’s sake do streams go flowing
And forests sing their roundelay.

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Today’s Poem: A Friend by Edgar Albert Guest

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A Friend

Edgar Albert Guest

A friend is one who stands to share
Your every touch of grief and care.
He comes by chance, but stays by choice;
Your praises he is quick to voice.

No grievous fault or passing whim
Can make an enemy of him.
And though your need be great or small,
His strength is yours throughout it all.

No matter where your path may turn
Your welfare is his chief concern.
No matter what your dream may be
He prays your triumph soon to see.

There is no wish your tongue can tell
But what it is your friend’s as well.
The life of him who has a friend
Is double-guarded to the end.

Source

Today’s Poem: Triangle Friendship by Harriet Annie Wilkins

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Triangle Friendship

Harriet Annie Wilkins

  I’ll take a triangle friendship please
you get to stop and pause along the path of the triangle
take a deep breath and look around at each corner
see what you have before you
enjoy the moment before you move on to the next corner

With a circle friendship
everything goes round and round much too fast to take in and enjoy
one friend may speed way ahead in a circle friendship
and leave the other behind
gives you no time to see and appreciate what you have in a friend
gives no time to put the breaks on and stop from hurting the one you love

A triangle is never ending as a circle is
but with the triangle you pause
you look around
you see who is there with you
you get to live in that moment
and you look forward to the next corner of the triangle when you both meet again

So for those of you in a circle friendship,
take a hammer out bang that circle into a triangle
and say hello to a new friendship you have begun
and enjoy the corners it has with the one you love.

Today is the start of a new day,
today is the day of the “Triangle Friendship”
one i look forward to taking the time to pause at each corner
and appreciating my friend
enjoying the calm, slow, steady path of
corner to corner to corner
with each other

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