Today is your day Boomer! Yesterday, this blog encouraged you to take an alcohol test to see if your drinking habits will reduce your life expectancy. Hmmmm....probably. Today, we learn from another study that smoking cigarettes also gives you a shorter life. Here it is: as much as 10 years shorter if you are a life-long smoker! What about for that cig you have once in awhile? 20 minutes per smokestick is the research; if you smoke one pack per day, it means 7 hours of life lost per pack! But there is some good news Boomers. 58% of American Boomers say they have smoked at least 100 cigs in their lives, but quitting has huge benefits. Researcher Dr. Sarah Jackson says "Stopping smoking is, without a doubt, the best thing you can do for your health, and the sooner you stop smoking, the longer you’ll live.” And remember, smoking contributes mightly to other medical issues like cancer and heart disease. In the words of that famous TV show detective from the 1960s, "Get Smart"!!!
Today is your day Boomer! Relaxing in my hot tub this morning, I had reflections of the 1970 CCR song "Lookin' out my Back Door". Yes, that kind of druggy, but catchy song, about the view of your backyard. Mine is spectacular: colourful sunrises, big ponderosa pines, cheer, apple, fir, and weeping willow trees, two mountains, sheep and chickens next door, two frolicking golden retrievers, beautiful green grass and what seems like a thousand birds...including quail, pheasant, chickadees, woodpeckers, and blue jays. And what else? Well....the quiet, the solitude, and the chance for reflection with no sirens, car noise, yelling people, or neighbours invading your privacy. It was...is...just beautiful, and I am so blessed to live in a rural area in BC's Okanagan Valley. Boomers, what's out your back door? John Fogerty's "tangerines and elephants" or something like my cheeries and coyotes? Check it out and appreciate the little things in life. Cheers...

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