In this issue:

• The art of friendship after 50

• Hearing loss: the silent thief

• Reduce the upkeep. Gain a life you love.

• Done in a flash: my new favorite recipe

The triumvirate: Health, home, friendship

This issue is about what gently shapes the quality of our lives — the elements that enrich our days and help us rest more easily at night. It’s about the friendships worth investing in, a home we love for its comfort and beauty, and the reassurance that we’re addressing health issues that are often overlooked. 

For me, friendship has taken on new meaning since I recently lost my best friend. She embraced life fully, always looking forward to meeting new people and learning all she could about them. Her mantra was, “Ask someone a lot of questions about themselves, and they’ll think you’re the most interesting person in the room.” And do you know what? She was right. 

We hope that as you read this week’s newsletter, you take away at least one idea that adds a welcome dimension to your life. Let us know what works for you…we’d love to hear from you!

— Pam Miller, Editor in Chief

The art of friendship after 50

How to make new friends later in life 

Many would never expect loneliness to be one of the defining health risks of getting older, but the data keeps showing it is. What changes after 50 isn't the need for friendship — it's the social infrastructure that shifts. School, early careers, and young parenthood all came with built-in proximity: the people you saw constantly became the people you knew well. By nature, you already had things in common with them, so little effort was required. Retirement, relocation, widowhood, or simply a change of pace removes that infrastructure, and friendship stops being something that happens to you and becomes something you have to build on purpose.

A University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging found that 40% of U.S. adults 45 and older report feeling lonely, up from 35% in both 2010 and 2018. This is a meaningful, if not shocking, jump in just a few years. Among adults 50 to 80, more than a third report a lack of companionship, and roughly one in four say they feel isolated from others at least some of the time. The health consequences are well documented in a landmark study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which links social isolation and loneliness in older adults to a higher risk of early death, dementia, and heart disease.

A small but growing number of platforms now exist specifically to solve this problem.

Stitch, founded in 2014 by Andrew Dowling and Marcie Rogo, was built around a single statistic that startled its founders: by some estimates, lonely adults over 60 face significantly higher mortality and dementia risk than their better-connected peers. They went on to build a platform for those 50+ and included sensitive features, such as identity verification, for safety. 

Stitch organizes its community around interest groups and real-world meetups rather than profile-browsing. They believe that shared activity, not chemistry, is what turns strangers into friends. Members report finding everything from grief-support groups to weekly game nights and international travel companions through it. It's worth a look for anyone whose social circle has grown smaller.

Conversely, letting some friendships fade away is a subtle but occasional necessity. Few relationships end dramatically; more often they just dim — a slow drift in energy or values rather than any single falling-out. 

Loosening a grip on these relationships doesn't require an uncomfortable conversation or any drama. It's usually a question of initiating less, taking on fewer obligations, and letting go of whatever guilt has been keeping the relationship on life support. That space, once it opens up, tends to get filled by something better — provided you're willing to put in the same deliberate effort into the new connection that the old one once required for free.

Hearing loss: the silent thief

It drains the brain of mental abilities that support memory and higher-level thinking.

There's a reason hearing loss is often called the invisible condition. Unlike a broken bone or elevated blood pressure, it tends to creep up on you unnoticed. It’s so gradual that most people don't notice it until it has already reshaped their daily life in ways they've learned to work around. Asking people to repeat themselves. Avoiding crowded restaurants. Turning up the television just a little more each year. Sound familiar?

Here's what the science makes undeniably clear: hearing loss isn't just an inconvenience. Left unaddressed, it is one of the most significant and modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline. A landmark Johns Hopkins study found that even mild hearing loss doubled the risk of dementia, with risk increasing as hearing loss worsened. The theory is straightforward — when the brain is constantly straining to decode sound, it diverts cognitive resources from memory and thinking. Over time, that strain takes a toll.

But the consequences don't stop with cognition. Untreated hearing loss has been linked to social withdrawal, depression, and a measurable decline in quality of life. When conversations become exhausting, people stop having them. When gatherings feel overwhelming, people stop showing up. What begins as a sensory issue becomes an emotional and social one.

But there’s good news: awareness and action make an enormous difference.

• The first step is to know where you stand. If you haven't had a baseline hearing evaluation, now is the time. Audiologists recommend getting one in your 50s to establish a benchmark for the years ahead. The test is simple, painless, and typically takes less than an hour. It’s a proactive step that puts you in control of your health story.

• Examine your everyday environment with fresh eyes. Many of the culprits behind noise-induced hearing damage are hiding in plain sight. Lawn equipment, power tools, and leaf blowers routinely exceed 90 decibels — the threshold at which damage can begin with prolonged exposure. 

• Earbuds and headphones, especially when used at high volumes daily, are increasingly a concern for adults of all ages. Even dining regularly in loud restaurants can add up over time. Simple habits, such as keeping headphone volume below 60 percent, wearing earplugs when operating loud machinery, and taking quiet breaks during noisy events, can help protect what you have.

If you're experiencing some degree of hearing loss, the solutions have never been more promising. Today's hearing aids bear little resemblance to the bulky, whistling devices of a generation ago. Modern hearing technology is sleek, discreet, and remarkably sophisticated. Many models connect seamlessly to smartphones, stream audio directly from televisions and phones, and can even be fine-tuned with a smartphone app. 

Several leading brands now offer over-the-counter options, making access easier than ever. The stigma once attached to hearing aids is fading fast, and for good reason: wearing one is increasingly seen as a sign of self-awareness, not of decline.

The bottom line is this: your hearing is worth protecting with the same care you give to other important parts of your life. It connects you to the people you love, the world around you, and the fullness of your daily life. Don't wait until your hearing becomes an issue to give it the attention it deserves. Your future self will be listening.

Reduce the upkeep. Gain a life you love.

Your home should restore you, not exhaust you.  

The freedom that comes when you stop maintaining a life and start curating one lets you breathe a little easier. It's the feeling when everything in that space is exactly what you want, and nothing demands your time or energy beyond what you're willing to give. It's the weekend that actually feels like a weekend. The home that works for you, not the other way around.

For many people, this vision is closer than they think. But getting there requires a deliberate shift in perspective — away from accumulation and upkeep, and moving toward intention and ease.

• Declutter and simplify by paying attention to the objects you own. Clean what needs cleaning. Store it where it makes the most sense. And maintain it if necessary. 

• The 5-5-5 Rule is a painless way to start: simply spend ten minutes finding five things to toss, five to donate, and five to return to where they belong. Photograph sentimental items, save them to a digital drive, and release the physical burden. A strict one-in, one-out policy keeps what you've cleared from creeping back.

• Automate and organize. Smart thermostats, robotic vacuums, and staggered micro-tasks like wiping the bathroom mirror, sink, and tub/shower on Monday and running the dishwasher each night can replace the dreaded weekend deep clean with something far more manageable.

• Stay ahead of the house by addressing a small repair in the moment; it costs a fraction of the crisis it prevents later. Change HVAC filters every one to three months, inspect shower caulking annually, and flush your water heater once a year to clear sediment and extend its life.

• Remodel for low maintenance. Let your material choices do the work. Quartz and porcelain outlast marble without the upkeep. Luxury vinyl plank or sealed concrete beats stain-prone carpet. Cabinetry taken to the ceiling eliminates the ledge that exists only to collect grease and dust.

• Outsource without guilt for chores like gutter cleaning, major pruning, HVAC servicing — if it stresses you out, hire it out. Non-structural cosmetic projects can wait. And if the lawn has become a burden, xeriscaping or native plantings may be the most liberating renovation you ever make.

Done in a flash: My new favorite recipe

I was on the prowl for recipes to prepare for my daughter and her husband, who just welcomed their first child into the world. That led me to this Quick Harissa Apricot Chicken from New York Times Cooking, and it lives up to every one of its five-star reviews and then some. It was fast (20 minutes!) and delicious. I prepared this for the first time last week and have now made it two more times — once for company and again this morning to keep in the freezer.

Best of all, this recipe is healthy and fits well with the Mediterranean, MIND, and DASH diets.

Keep in mind that harissa can be very spicy. I used Mina Harissa Moroccan Red Pepper Sauce, and it gave the dish just the right amount of heat without being overwhelming.

Quick Harissa Apricot Chicken

Yield: 4 servings

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, patted dry 

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil 

• 1 cup chicken stock

• 2 tablespoons apricot or peach preserves or jam (I doubled the amount)

• ¼ cup high-quality harissa paste 

• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon 

• ⅓ cup olives, preferably Castelvetranos, smashed and pitted (or pitted ones torn in half)

• Crusty bread or cooked pearl couscous, for serving

• Lemon wedges, for serving 

• 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, torn, for serving (optional)

Step 1

Heat a large (12-inch), high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, season one side of the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Once the skillet is warm, add olive oil and place chicken, seasoned side down, in an even layer. Season the now-exposed side of the chicken with kosher salt and black pepper. Cook until the chicken is mostly opaque on the sides, easily releases from the pan, and is nicely browned on the underside, 6 to 8 minutes. 

Step 2

Meanwhile, add chicken stock, apricot preserves, harissa paste and cinnamon to a large liquid measuring cup. Whisk well to combine and break up the jam. 

Step 3

Flip chicken over and let cook on the other side until lightly seared and no longer pink, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the harissa mixture, add the olives, and stir to scrape up any browned bits. Bring to a rapid simmer and cook until the sauce thickens and the chicken is fully cooked through, another 3 to 5 minutes. Taste for salt and adjust seasoning according to taste (this will depend on the chicken stock and harissa used). 

Step 4

Serve immediately with crusty bread or couscous, spooning the sauce and olives over the chicken. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkling of mint leaves, if desired. (I used pearled couscous.)

Tip

If you’d like to work ahead, the sauce mixture in Step 2 can be made up to 2 days in advance; store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

_{The content provided here is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider before making any changes to your health routine, and never disregard professional medical advice based on information you read here.}