Don’t Stop Socializing

I was listening to NPR on my drive home from the beach today. One story that stood out was about how Americans spend their time now compared to just ten years ago. The big thing that is down is how much time people spend socializing. It’s down close to 30%. That is tragic, because ten years ago people didn’t spend an inordinate amount of time socializing.

I am so happy that what I spend my time doing is contributing to people spending more time together socializing. Mah Jongg is a great way to get to know more people and spend time with real humans. The thing about playing Mah Jongg is that it is non-partisan. You can play with all kinds of people and not fight. You have to pay close enough attention to the game so you don’t have time to think about any bad things going on in the world. So it is a true escape.

For me personally I have enjoyed making so many wonderful friends through teaching. Today, while in the middle of class, my friend Lee came into the room to drop off a bag of her her home grown tomatoes. She was not taking class, but knew I was at the beach and brought me that fabulous gift just because she is a dear.

I also had the pleasure of having lunch with my old friend Diane and her daughter Genie today. I had a one hour break between classes and went in the bar to have lunch and Diane invited me to sit with them. I first learned to play Mah Jongg with Diane 32 years ago. It was great to see her.

Making new friends at every age is so important. It keeps you young and makes you happy. It is also wonderful to spend time with old friends. The more friends the more socializing. That is good for your well being.