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“Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.” – Henry David Thoreau Stuck Isn’t Always a Bad Thing Remember the old TVs? They were square, with thick glass screens wrapped in woodgrain plastic, rabbit ears on top, and clunky dials you had to click. They were barely bigger than a microwave but weighed as much as a bag of cement. My parents, brothers, and I used to crowd around one of those TVs to watch “Gilligan’s Island.” We tuned in for the laughs. Gilligan bumbled things up, the Skipper yelled, and the Professor made a radio out of bamboo — it was fun. But they were always stuck. Week after week, no matter how close they got to getting off the island, something always went wrong. What strikes me now is this: The Professor could build a washing machine out of coconuts, but couldn’t patch a hole in a boat? They had visitors — a pilot, explorers, even mad scientists — but no one could radio for help? As a kid, it was frustrating. Come on! Just fix the radio. Flag down the passing ship! I figured they must’ve been the unluckiest people on Earth. But now, I wonder: What if it wasn’t bad luck? What if they didn’t want to leave? Think about it. The island had everything they needed — shelter, food, and community. And all of it wrapped in sunshine, turquoise water, and soft white sand. Nobody was climbing the corporate ladder. Nobody was stuck in traffic. Nobody was peeking over the neighbor’s fence trying to measure up (that era’s version of today’s social media). Maybe, strangely, the island was the rescue. They started as castaways, but over time, they built a life. Ginger found her audience. The Professor conducted his experiments. The Skipper no longer had a ship, but he still had a crew to keep in line. The Howells — rich and pampered — learned how to pitch in (well, sort of). Mary Ann was the bridge between the big personalities, keeping things grounded. And Gilligan? He was exactly who he’d always been — on or off the island.
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Their lives became more than survival — not perfect, but living all the same. Life has a way of crashing us onto islands. Not literal ones, but places where things didn’t go as planned. Maybe it’s not the job we thought we’d have, the place we thought we’d live, or the timeline we imagined. It can feel like we’ve been thrown off course.
But what if we haven’t?
What if this is where we figure things out, where we meet the people who matter, and where we become more fully ourselves? Not every detour is a dream come true. Some are hard. Some are lonely. But maybe the goal isn’t always to return to where we were. Maybe the goal is to notice where we are — and see what might grow there. The castaways never got off the island. And somehow, that didn’t ruin the story. In fact, it was the story. They learned how to live, together, in a world they didn’t choose – but one they came to shape. So, maybe the lesson isn’t about escape. Maybe it’s about presence. About finding meaning right where we are — even if it wasn’t part of the plan. Here’s to our islands. The unexpected ones. The unplanned ones. They just might be where the real story begins.
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Kindness That Lasts
Being There for Someone Who’s Struggling We’ve all experienced bouts of bad mood and even occasional depression. While difficult to go through, it can be equally challenging to see someone we care about hurting and not know how to help. The main thing to remember is that providing support isn’t about fixing things; it’s about showing up in meaningful ways.
FOCUS ON SMALL GESTURES. Along with providing company, you can support your loved one with simple gestures — a phone call, handwritten note, or warm meal. These acts remind them that someone cares and that they are not alone. Continuing to show up for your friend even after the rest of the world has moved on can have an even greater impact. There’s no specific script to follow, but small efforts all add up and may matter more than you’ll ever know. If you have a friend or family member going through a hard time, validating their experience and being present for them can be all they need. While they may not remember what you said, they won’t forget you showed up and stayed when they needed you most.
SKIP THE PEP TALKS AND LISTEN. For many of us, our initial instinct is to rush to lift our loved one’s spirits and help them break out of a bad mood. However, offering them space and a calm ear is often the best thing we can do. Friendly company can be comforting even if they’re not ready to talk. Just be sure they don’t feel pressure to do or say anything. This might mean bingeing a favorite TV show together or just being with one another in the same room.
THE GOLDEN GIFT OF MEMOIRS
Although striving to experience life’s greatest joys in the present is always best, reflecting on our pasts can be a tremendous gift to ourselves and others. If summertime gives you more time for leisure activities, now may be a great opportunity to consider chronicling your life’s most significant moments in a memoir. Preserving your history for your family members, particularly those who are young or have yet to be born, is often just as valuable as selecting the physical assets you will leave behind for others. Whether you’re a seasoned wordsmith or a novice writer, here are two quick pointers to help you craft your experiences into precious prose. NARROW YOUR NARRATIVE. First and foremost, there are no concrete rules for structuring your memoir. It could zero in on a specific period, such as your military service or how you met your spouse,
or it could be based on your love of volunteerism or lessons you learned in your profession. Length can also be fluid, as memoirs
and prolific authors have times when the words just won’t come — or, even worse, they spin their mental wheels over crafting that perfectly structured opening sentence. If you struggle to turn your ideas into coherent passages, don’t worry about form and structure immediately, but still put down words as frequently as possible. A page full of rough ideas and scattered word sketches is infinitely better than a blank slate without a single syllable. When in doubt, relax and try writing freely. Writing without restraint will likely result in ideas and directions you hadn’t considered if you had focused solely on getting everything right.
can range from a relatively short essay to an extensively detailed story spread over multiple chapters. No matter which direction you choose, it is wise to focus on what you want to write about and your intended audience before you compose your first words. This approach will help you better organize your ideas for subject and tone upfront instead of getting bogged down with scattered thoughts that will inevitably slow or even prevent your writing process. WRITER’S BLOCK CAN BE BENEFICIAL. Here’s the deep, dark secret of successful writing: Even the most accomplished
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Sudoku
The Magnesium Meltdown in Modern Meals FAST FUEL, SLOW DECLINE
You are what you don’t eat.
With the hustle and bustle of daily life perpetually placing demands on our schedules, many of us are tempted to satisfy our hunger by grabbing grub on the go. While processed foods, particularly those offered at drive-throughs across America,
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provide a much-needed burst of energy and a feeling of fullness, they lack the nutrients essential for keeping us healthy and moving. If you’re feeling more fatigued than usual lately — or if your stomach feels more nauseous than nourished — your hefty diet is likely depriving you of one of the most essential keys to sustained physical and mental health: magnesium. WHY MAGNESIUM MATTERS Magnesium’s benefits to the human body are far-reaching and essential. In addition to promoting better sleep, it promotes muscle repair, bone strength, and prevents osteoporosis. Shockingly, most processed foods only have approximately 15% of the magnesium found in natural food sources — another reason why a steady diet of fast-food burgers and prepackaged snack cakes isn’t good for anyone. A MINDFUL MENU Increasing the amount of magnesium in your system isn’t difficult; supermarkets offer plenty of nutritious ways to stock up on it. Depending on your dietary needs and restrictions, here are eight foods to consider adding to or increasing in your diet:
Helpful Resources • Is your estate plan up to date? Ask us about our FREE Estate Planning Checkup. Call our office or email Julie@mtolaw.com. • Don’t miss Glenn on “Senior Law Radio,” WHMI FM 93.5 every Sunday at 8 a.m. You can also listen live (or to previous shows) on WHMI.com. • Questions about your money? Do you need help with your financial goals, investment management, or retirement planning? Glenn has partnered with his personal financial advisor, Brad Jerome, to bring expert financial services to our clients. Brad meets with you right in our office — no cost, no obligation, and no pressure — just an opportunity to discuss your goals with a top-notch financial advisor to see where your path might lead. You can reach Brad directly at 517.301.3070. • Let us be your trusted advisor for all your legal matters. We’ve grown with the referrals we receive from our clients. We want to return the favor by helping you find a great attorney outside of estate planning, elder law, and probate. Our clients often call us in need of an attorney who focuses on personal injury, auto accidents, elder and nursing home abuse, workers’ compensation, Social Security disability, and many other areas. To get the best results, you need an experienced attorney to help. If you want a referral, call our office or email Julie@mtolaw.com. We are glad to help!
• Almonds • Avocados • Bananas • Leafy greens
• Legumes • Pumpkin seeds • Milk • Soy-based flour
UCLA Health recommends that adult men consume 400–420 milligrams of magnesium daily, while 310–320 milligrams should provide adult women with enough to maintain proper health. Magnesium supplements are readily available to those who don’t or can’t eat these amounts normally. As with any significant dietary change, it is advised that you consult with your physician to ensure proper magnesium intake, especially if you’re currently pregnant or breastfeeding. With the pace of most people’s lives not likely to slow down anytime soon, choosing foods high in magnesium over a quick meal handed through a window will always be the more sensible option.
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MichiganEstatePlans.com • 888.487.6150 915 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 6 Howell, Michigan 48843
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What’s Inside? 1 2 The Art of Quiet Kindness
You Don’t Have to Escape the Island
Write, Reflect, and Remember
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What Your Meals Miss
Helpful Resources
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The Surprising Ways Plants Support Each Other
How Plants Talk to Each Other Underground
You probably don’t think of plants as chatty, but they have a lot going on underground. Scientists have discovered that thin fungus threads in the soil connect many plants — nature’s version of the internet. These threads help plants share nutrients and even send messages to one another. The fungi grow around and between plant roots, building a bridge from one plant to the next. If one plant gets sick or bug-bitten, it can send a warning. Neighboring plants “hear” that signal and might boost their defenses. It’s somewhat like a heads-up before a storm. It’s not just gossip, either. These fungal helpers also help shuffle nutrients around, especially from bigger, well-fed plants to smaller, struggling ones. In return, the fungi get sugars and energy from the plants. It’s a win-win. This hidden teamwork has real-world effects. Farmers and gardeners who know about these underground networks can change how they treat their soil. If the fungi are wiped out — say, by chemicals or heavy digging — plants lose their lifeline. But if the networks stay intact, crops tend to grow better and fight off threats more easily.
This is still a growing field of research, but it’s changing how we see plant life. If you want to dig a little deeper, check out a recent book, “The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth” by Zoë Schlanger. What looks like a quiet patch of greenery might be a neighborhood full of chatter. You just have to know where to look.
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