MSI Press Blog

  Excerpt from Old and On Hold   Eating through a Pandemic The food supply chain has been turned upside down, creating unusual problems wherein some farmers are tossing milk or burying vegetables while people are lined up at food banks without adequate supplies of food. As of this writing ,we are being told that meat processing has been affected by plant workers being struck with COVID-19. A threat of meat shortage can create food insecurity and the desire to hoard which, of course, requires a way to store larger quantities of food. People without means, including elderly on fixed incomes living in small spaces, can’t hoard. We can expect that grocers will put some limits on the amount bought just as stores did with toilet paper and paper towels. I thank my grocer every time I go in for the effort to provide and, in some cases, “police” our good intentions for the good of all. Stress and boredom are triggers for overindulging. Sugary and salty foods offer temporary satisfaction and com

  The following is an excerpt from Women, We're Only Old Once: Keep What You Can, Let Go of What You Can't, Enjoy What You Have Left . What’s Really Happening to Our Face and Skin?  “Everything is just breaking down … it just is,” Dr. Haycox told me matter-of-factly in her captivating English accent.(personal interview 11/04/10). Skin is the largest organ of our body and the first to show the signs of aging. Just like our vital internal organs, skin is regenerating at a slower pace; unlike our internal organs, we can see it. Of course, a life without skin is unimaginable, but it is lost on most of us that the skin is a complex organ without which we would not have protection, body temperature control, pain or pleasure sensations, hair, and padding. We also wouldn’t have the body contours and structure that shape our faces, our expressions, and bodies.  Skin is flexible and accommodating of thin figures and obese figures, although once skin is stretched over an obese build for

  The following excerpt comes from Old and On Hold (Cooper) -- (editor's note: while this book -- and a dozen others - - were written for the days of the pandemic, to help with various unique circumstances we all experienced at that time. some of the advice in it is good in general for circumstances that occur as the aging process kicks in, so we have maintained the book for sale at the MSI Press webstore ) Making Up for Missing Religious and Recreational Gatherings We had interests before the pandemic and still have the same interests now except we may not be able to participate in our callings and interests. If we are active in a religion and regularly attend gatherings, we likely experience spiritual solace and a sense of belonging with others. Our plan will include staying in contact with our religious community leaders to help maintain connection, especially around providing explanations and understandings of this world crisis. How many of us are devoted followers of sport

  Difficult Relationships That Take More of a Toll As We Age Long-standing relationships that are chronically stressful begin to take a greater toll as we age. We know that chronic stress and mental anguish have a greater impact on our physical bodies as we age. Making a final attempt to mend difficult relationships or to let go and to stop obsessing about them becomes an essential task when you are on the cusp of old age. Mental distress robs us of valuable time and energy we need or want for other pursuits so it becomes essential to pick our stresses. Difficult relationships are not those friendships that seem to have a natural ebb and flow and enter and leave a life. Most of us have countless relationships that we can pick up after years. Difficult relationships, on the other hand, become tiresome, unbalanced, and demanding. If resolving a difficult relationship were easy, we would have done it long ago. However, we somehow have gotten entangled in old feelings, responses, hurts, an

  The following excerpt comes from Soccer Is Fun without Parents by Peter Jonas.  The Screamer (Parent) The Screamer is loud, and you know them right away. They scream about the refs, the coaches, and most often, the players: “Get the ball!” “Big kick!” “Hustle Timmy, hustle!” Their voice typically carries into the next town, as if the louder they yell the better the kids play. It does not work that way, sorry. However, there is a direct correlation between how loud you yell and how embarrassed your kids are to be from the same family.   Have you ever thought about what the player thinks when parents are screaming at them? Here is someone twice as large as you, hollering at you all the time to perfectly complete tasks that you might not be skilled enough to perform. Talk about pressure! Freud would have a field day with the Screamer.    Sometimes it is not just one or two parents that do the unbelievable. Maybe the crowd mentality takes over and a group simply goes crazy. One beautiful

  excerpt from From Deep Within (Lewis)  The Cutting Group   The door to the outpatient clinic’s waiting room opened and flakes of snow swept in with a chilling cold. The room was shaped in a perfect square. Twelve chairs in total leaned on opposite walls. The upholstery had once been institutional grey, but now it had black marks throughout, with tears soaked into the fabric and yellow/brown filth embedded in the seams. The center of each chair had taken on a rounded contour from years of patients sitting in the same place. Footprint marks were embedded in the carpet in front of each chair, showing where hundreds of people had placed their feet over the years. The wear in the carpet reminded me of the worn yellow footprints millions of airport travelers step into every day when passing through X-ray machines at security.   When the weather was damp, the clinic waiting room smelled like wet dirty diapers. At one end of the room was a sliding glass window with one side open. Anita, the