The exercise your fitness teacher told you about, the one that was _really good for your core, _doesn’t help much in isolation. You also need good exercises for your arms, your legs, your back… It’s the collection that makes a difference, not the individual pieces.

+++ title = “11” date = 2020 +++ I have a very keen ear. I hear things going on outside of my house even when the windows are closed. What I heard recently on a late summer night was an echoey, old-timey voice, coming from a nearby house. I opened the window to get a better understanding of what I was hearing: it was the audio from the commentators on an old baseball game.

Having a child makes it easy to get sucked into all the kid music. Baby shark, Sesame Street, kids bop. Some of this stuff is fine to listen to, some of it is not. And remember, you have to listen to these songs on repeat. Bu there is no reason for kids music. It doesn’t serve a purpose other than perhaps lyrically, where it might teach an important lesson or be relatable.

If you ever feel awkward around your friend’s kids, but you don’t want to seem rude, just be curious about whatever they’re curious about. If they’re face down on the floor in a comic book, ask who drew it. If they are pulling apart a paperclip, ask about what they’re building. Or better yet ask to build it with them.

Many sleep scientists say that the key to healthy sleep is a darkened room. As in, all lights off, all light sources covered (including phones). All of this allows the brain to perceive (as our ancestors did) darkness as a cue to fall asleep. And this is the biggest benefit: it is so damn soothing. It feels a bit like “darkness” therapy as you lie there, eyes open the last minute before you conk out, staring into the exact same darkness that exists behind your eyes, and will eventually lull you to sleep.