It occurred to me today that the way to give your life new meaning is to make new friends.

A woman who lives in my building has spoken to me when I needed someone to talk to. She has two darling dogs, and is a kind, warm person. I had planned to spend some time with her this afternoon, but I am married, and my husband has asked if I wanted to go out.

I have a tendency to stay in my house every day, and I have come to the conclusion that perhaps that habit has deprived me of much of the joy I might have experienced were I to spend more time looking for people who can change my perspective, and with whom I can laugh and talk.

As we grow older, something tells me that we tend to become prone to spending time doing the same thing daily. That time might well be better used opening our eyes to the world outside of our door. 

Habits are hard to break, and I have been thinking that were I to make such a change, I might discover that life can be better then I thought. 

How many people are out there like me? As I write this article, I have to wonder if my reader tends to be predisposed to the same way of living. 

Perhaps what I am writing here may ring a familiar bell with some of you. Have you developed habits as you grow older that need to be re-examined?  This is not meant as a lecture, but rather something I need to consider for myself, and which might resonate with others who are on in age like me.

No, none of us have found all the answers to living life well. It would seem to me that learning something new every day is the right way to live.

How odd, but I taught American Politics at the university level for years, and have become less politically inclined instead of taking the time to follow what is going on in the political arena. Voting is one of the best ways an American can become more involved outside of their home. Maybe I should take the time to watch the news more often?

What I an saying here has gone off on a different tangent, but that's what writing is all about. When we start doing it, new ideas tend to come to mind, and that is one of the benefits I have found in sending articles to The Latest.

If you are older, have you also discovered that writing is a mind opener? We all need to keep learning about life as long as we are fortunate enough to live it.