Three things from DAH. 

DAH is me, David Anthony Hance. "I don't think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones in the right order, you might nudge the world a little or make a poem that children will speak for you when you are dead." (Tom Stoppard, The Real Thing)

First up this week, Simulate …  
So much ersatz. From faux meats that bleed to holographic humans who sing and dance beyond their dead-by dates. I'm sure I've been fooled by CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) but I'm less than enamored when I know of or notice the simulations. Sure, the technological achievements are remarkable. And, yes, a lot of money can be made making realistic fake things. Things as if real. Acting "as if" is a very handy technique in psychology and performing arts. On stage I prefer a performer acting "as if" they were Hamlet. I'm less interested in taking in a simulation of someone's idea of Hamlet. 
Scientists Create Holograms You Can See, Hear, and Feel

Second up this week, Stimulate …  
Who doesn't enjoy stimulation from time to time? Whether evoked by self, simulation, sommelier, serendipity or sweetheart, stimulation arouses interest, enthusiasm, and excitement. All three of those are welcome in my life. Of course, overstimulation (too much sensation) can exhaust and unsettle. I've experienced this. I've been embarrassed by this. Which is likely why I (and many others) build stimulation blockers into our hearts and minds. Think about it: Don't you have defense mechanisms you've adopted to avoid excitedly lurching from one stimulation to another? Over time, however, I'm concerned that I've installed too many stimulation blockers. I need to disable a few, or add some stimulation receptors. I'd enjoy a few more stimulating surprises. 
What Is Sensory Stimulation?

Third up this week, Salivate …  
So much to make me salivate. I carefully keep my lips together. One of Merriam-Webster's definitions of "to salivate" -- to show great desire or anticipation. But those darn stimulation blockers! Instead of reacting with delight, with desire and anticipation, with salivation, I'm too often cool as a cucumber. I decline to be astonished at the new wine, the special dish, the bright new anything. "Oh, that's nice," I pooh-pooh. So pathetic. I daresay I seem enthusiastic to many, but I could, I would, be so much moreso. I certainly don't want to reach the end of my days judging myself under-enthusiastic. 
The Science Of Drool – Why Food Makes Your Mouth Water

A Book I'm Reading: Staying Sharp: 9 Keys for a Youthful Brain Through Modern Science and Ageless Wisdom, by Henry Emmons and David Alter. 
Studying up before I falter. What are these 9 keys, you ask? According to Emmons and Alter, they are: Movement, Rest, Nourishment, Curiosity, Flexibility, Optimism, Empathy, Connection, and Authenticity. Three keys for each of these: brain, mind, and heart. 

And a bit more:

For Keeps, by Joy Harjo

Sun makes the day new.
Tiny green plants emerge from earth.
Birds are singing the sky into place.
There is nowhere else I want to be but here.
I lean into the rhythm of your heart to see where it will take us.
We gallop into a warm, southern wind.
I link my legs to yours and we ride together,
Toward the ancient encampment of our relatives.
Where have you been? they ask.
And what has taken you so long?
That night after eating, singing, and dancing
We lay together under the stars.
We know ourselves to be part of mystery.
It is unspeakable.
It is everlasting.
It is for keeps.

And that's all for this week.
From Mary Oliver’s poem Sometimes …  

Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it. 

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