That tiny speck of color

Just read in the NYTimes that the middle-aged brain is as good as a teenager's. Even if we tend to forget names -which I do ALL the time- the fact that we've been out there for longer helps us adapt better to new situations and problems. We seem to figure out solutions to problems more easily. And the best piece of news is that from studies made, they found that people expressed higher levels of well-being at age 65.

I did feel identified in several of the statements Barbara Strauch, the author of The Secret Life of the Grown-up Brain: The Surprising Talents of the Middle-aged Mind, made in the Times interview. My life now in several areas is a lot more fulfilling than it was in my 20s or 30s. I always took it as my personal circumstance. I just did not reach maturity until my mid-30s -assuming at this point I have done so!

Life experience does give you an edge. My feeling is that being able to choose is at the heart of reaching some sort of pleasant platteau in life. I'm glad to have found that interview. I needed this little boost of well-being...

I see my young students now and feel more empowered to serve them better. In my idealistic 20s, just out of college, I was so full of impetus and convinced I could make a difference and change the world if only given the chance. Nowadays, I've learned it's not that simple, that changing the world, even the little one around us, is a daunting task -- simply because change does not and cannot rest on one's shoulders. We can simply add a little extra shade of color somewhere in the wide palette of life of each of the people we love and of our students'. Accepting one's insignificance is tough, but it also gives you a certain peace of mind. Knowing we can only be responsible for that tiny speck of color has a liberating force. And therein lies the greater power I just mentioned. For me right now, that's plenty...