Here and Next: January 2022

Source: Premier Academy of the Performing Arts

January, the start of another year.

Welcome to 2022.

That's as jubilant as I get.

Exclaiming..."Happy New Year!"... just sounds disingenuous after barely enduring a 2-year pandemic and witnessing our Democracy crumble before our eyes.

Happiness has seemingly become ever more elusive.

Source: Rawpixel (modified)

"We are no longer happy as soon as we wish to be happier."~ Walter Landor

Then this tall order:

"Happiness is somebody to love,

Something to do,

And something to hope for."

~ Chinese Proverb

Perhaps easier is: "One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats." ~ Iris Murdoch

Backed up by Thornton Wilder: "My advice to you is not to inquire or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it's on your plate."

Bingo!... a possible resolution that's actually doable.

Besides, ice cream always makes me happy... even if the happiness only lasts through the last chocolate sprinkle and smudge of chocolate syrup.

And so lately, in hopes of getting out of this funk, I'm trying to focus on gratitude: savoring any and all happy moments that come my way, no matter how small or brief.

Like recently:

Finding a $20 bill, dirty and crumpled, in a pile of leaves. Yahoo!

Getting a holiday card with a lottery ticket enclosed and scratching off a $10 winner!

Nabbing a $220 Winter Parka Coat from Lands' End for $39!

Obtaining a refund for $55.24 from The Vitamin Shoppe after being told "No. No refunds after 30 days."

And receiving coupons in the mail from Organic Valley (2 coupons for $1.50 off their products and 2 for free products for a maximum value of $13 each) after mentioning that we're having difficulty opening their milk carton caps. Who knew there was a cap shortage and yes, O.V. is actively working on a solution to the problem.

And who says, "Money doesn't buy happiness?"

Source: Synchrony Bank

That said... I'm starting to feel the "happy" in wishing you all a "Happy New Year."

But with those wishes, I always like to include the word "Healthy" into the mix... as in "Have a Happy and Healthy New Year."

So here's the "healthy" bit.

Source: OFY.org (modified)

It started with a book, a book of fiction. I can't recall the title, but what struck me was the author's sentence stating that the lining of a human stomach renews itself every 5 days. And here I was with a stomach ache reading this book wondering if this statement was actually fact or total fiction.

An online search brought up a video from NPR titled: "Your Body's Real Age."

I think you'll find the information not only fascinating but also encouraging for anyone aging...which pretty much describes everyone over the age of what?... 30? 40? Ha! I know, "Age is just a number."

Source: Pixel (modified)

It turns out, according to the video, each body part has its own very distinct lifespan.

* Each hair on your head (scalp hair) is replaced every 2-7 years. 100 hairs fall out every day and new ones grow back in their place.

* Fingernails are new every 6 months or so.

Almost every part of your body refreshes itself in a similar way.

* The lining of your stomach and intestines get pretty beat up by digestive acid and so those cells get replaced every few days (2-9 days).

* Every few weeks (2-4 weeks) your outer layer of skin is completely new.

* Every 4 months you have a fresh army of red blood cells. 100 million new cells are born every minute and 100 million old cells are destroyed.

* Every 10 years you've got a new skeleton. A special team of cells breaks down old bone and another builds new bone.

* Every 15 years your muscles are refreshed.

But there are a few things that stick around for your entire life.

* About 1/2 of your heart stays with you from birth to death because those cells are replaced very slowly.

* Certain parts of your brain add a few new neurons over the course of your life. A vast majority of your neurons developed before you were born. The connections between these neurons, the circuits that store memory, those are constantly changing.

* And there's one more part of you that lasts your whole life. Months before you were born, clusters of cells stretched and built themselves with transparent protein. As you grew, even after birth, more and more fibers were added, but that center endured. This is your lens and its core has remained the same since the moment you first opened your eyes.

So how old is your body? Some of it is brand new and some of it is as old as you are.

In closing, I'll leave you with these images by Cecilia Paredes, a Peruvian artist now living and working in Philadelphia, PA. She considers her work to be "photo performances", camouflaging herself against various patterned backgrounds using body paint or pieces of fabric.

She says, "The human body is a vehicle to express your thoughts. The series is not about the body though. It's about location, so in this case the body is part of the landscape."