In this week's edition of Spry Magazine, an incredibly spry and zestful 89-year-old Rita Moreno offers tips on how she stays so fit and mentally sharp. Beyond playing a lot of games like Scrabble and Rummicube, which I love, she also said:
I do things with my opposite hand as well. I write with my left hand at least three times a week. When I first started it as a brain exercise, it looked like the handwriting of a psychotic person. But I’m very good at it now, and it’s rather pretty handwriting. At least four times a week ...
That activity really intrigued and impressed me, and it's something I want to try and add into my life. For the past year or so, I have been trying to learn the piano, and in the early days, I was amazed at how hard I had to think and concentrate on my fingers. As the movements became more familiar, I could feel my mind changing just a bit. Drawing and painting has had the same effect, especially because I hadn't really done either since elementary school.
The idea of writing opposite handed reminded me of a goal or desire to improve my normal handwriting, and perhaps even "try my hand" at calligraphy and graphic design. These are all great activities to, of course, stay mentally sharp as we age; but equally importantly they are also ways to enrich our lives. So, I am going to try and remember to do more of this.
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