Brief Buzz:
Found these gems in Bottom Line Personal.  For us in the 2nd half of life’s journey, it’s important to stay mentally healthy and alert.  One of the ways to prevent “brain-decay” is to regularly practice memory-boosting exercises.  Here’s a few from Bottom Line:
LOOK – the biggest challenge we face in keeping our memory alive and well is learning to pay attention.  Many folks who think they’re entering early dementia or Alzheimer disease simply don’t pay attention.  Attention to others; attention to detail; attention to their surroundings.  We tend to be so caught up in our own thoughts and what we have to do next, that we don’t make a conscious decision to absorb information.  By focusing (and listening to) on the other person; the details of information being presented to us; or our surroundings, we can fix information in our memory.
SNAP – Humans think in pictures!  When we practice turning information into vivid mental snapshots that have movement, dimension and detail, we utilize one of the most effective techniques for long-term memory storage.
 Example:  you park your car in a large lot on level 3B.  Visualize 3 giant bumblebees over your car and you’ll remember the spot.
CONNECT – Try to associate two or more ‘snaps’ so you can remember the connection later – a skill that will help you connect a name to a face.
 Example: you meet Ms. Beatty, a woman with full lips.  Focus on her mouth to create a memorable face snap.  Most movie buffs know the name Warren Beatty, so connect the two ‘snaps’ with the mental image of Warren Beatty kissing her lips.  Next time you meet Ms. Beatty, you’ll likely remember her name.
Since humans think in pictures (even when we see the words in our mind’s eye that we are thinking) – here’s a couple of tips I use to stay mentally young and alert:
THINK YOUNG – My mental image of me is as a 35 year old woman.  I see myself doing the same things physically that I did when I was 35 or so years of age.  I see myself in my mind’s eye as looking as I did at about that age.  This is not something I learned to do or even consider a skill – it is just something I do (or am).  I find that I can physically handle more than I might be able to do if I thought of myself as a 68 plus year-old woman and I find that I can relate to woman much younger than I with comfort and ease because it always comes as a shock that I’m old enough to be their mother!
 TIP:  Try not to look in a mirror more often than necessary.  It destroys the mental fantasy.
LEARN – Never stop learning.  Make it a practice to learn something new each day.  Read an article (on the internet) you might not otherwise read.  Devour your daily newspaper, including the little tidbits of information you might ordinarily not read.  Sign up for an online course teaching something you always wanted to know more about.  Make it a habit to learn a new word each week.  Start with your dictionary at work and just pick out a word you didn’t know; write down it’s definition and then try to use it every day.
 Example:  A few years ago, I heard someone use the word exacerbate.  I didn’t know what it meant, so I looked it up and then found myself using it more and more.  Now it’s a part of my vocabulary.
All of the above are simple tips that most of you probably already know for staying mentally young and alert.  But it helps to be reminded from time to time.
And I’ve go another little trick I use.  When I’m trying to remember something, I just ask the Lord to remind me – and He does!  It’s amazing and it works – at least it does for me, so I encourage you to try it too!