IN ISSUE 6: The Beatles last ever song, the best inventions of '23, lonely hearts ads are back, recognition for 'life admin' & Laufey - set to become the massive new popstar, that you might just like.
A 10 minute read, with the added serendipity that might just change your life
Editor’s letter
Welcome,
You’ve heard of the parable of the fisherman? He’s fishing in a scenic paradise when a passing American businessman stops and suggests he could build more fishing huts and sell them to others to make more money. “And then what”? asks the fisherman, “Then you could sell them and build even more and earn enough to do whatever you want." “I'm already doing what I want” replies the fisherman.
Many think this is the unattainable ‘retirement’ we strive for - but this isn’t some unattainable scenario - it's a choice - one we all need to make at some point, otherwise we will spend our entire lives chasing something - very possibly something we already have - the life we want to live.
The life we want to live is never perfect, it will always involve financial and relationship sacrifices and maybe that's what makes the choice hard for some people to make - and so they continue to chase for that impossible paradise life, that won't involve sacrifices.
At some point we need to decide that this is it - this is the life I want to live. Circumstances will change, the situation will likely not last forever, which makes it even more important to take time to just stop, and enjoy life when you can...
Hopefully some of our content this week will help you enjoy life…
Chris.
This week’s cuttings
We scan all relevant media to find anything that is valuable for living good midlife years…
JD Williams
Clothing brand JD Williams is getting a lot of praise for their campaign shattering stereotypes around midlife women “The tides are slowly turning on society seeing the value and awesomeness of middle-aged women. But this can’t happen soon enough. We’ve been misrepresented or altogether ignored for too long, so shove over ‘silver fox’ men HERE COME THE F-ING GIRLS, and we’re not who you think we are!” says Zara Ineson, Creative Director at House 337 who made the advert, below.
Women’s Heart Healthy Report
This report gained a lot of coverage this week. Women consuming a heart-healthy diet in midlife has been linked to lower cognitive loss in later life. The finding suggests that switching to the DASH diet - Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension - could improve cognitive function in later life for women, who make up more than two-thirds of those diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Worth a read if you feel it’s something you need to consider.
The new and old ways to find a life partner
Lonely Hearts ads are back, according to Cosmopolitan Magazine. You probably imagine seedy ads in the backs of old-school newspapers. But “lonely hearts” are making a comeback. Except this time, they’re digital. Communities are popping up across the likes of Reddit and Instagram with people posting their romantic and sexual wants and “would like to meets” with no holds barred.
Meanwhile at the very other end of the scale - and now running a campaign across the internet Fitness Singles is connecting potential partners that have like-minded attitudes to health and fitness.
At last, recognition for the drudgery that is ‘life admin’
It’s time the drudgery of ‘life admin’ was given some proper recognition says the always excellent Rhymer Rigby in the Times. Life admin is the stuff that almost all of us have to do. It is mostly pretty tedious: everything from renewing car insurance to organising children’s parties. It’s a bit managerial, a bit secretarial and very much a pain. I have heard it called “the office work of life”, which is a decent definition. Of course, unlike “real” office work it is unpaid and you do not get any recognition for doing it well. It is not optional (unless you want to live in chaos) and often can be done only during office hours. Who among us has not had to wait in a phone queue 30 callers deep for a doctor’s appointment between 10am and 11am, guiltily wondering if colleagues are tutting or if the boss has noticed?… Love this article!
Shame of the midlife cocaine user
An interesting feature in the Telegraph. As record numbers of over-40s are hospitalised after drug use, the story of how one midlife party animal hit rock bottom and decided to stop.
AI / Tech update for midlifers
Chat GBT can now identify problems and offer solutions through a photo alone.
(thanks to reader John Williams for the example)
Time magazine – best inventions of 2023
Every year Time lists its best inventions of the year. Its 2023 list includes Humane AI Pin. Humane, started by two former Apple executives, envisions a screen-free future, a scene that seems like it's out of a sci-fi movie.
It will be powered by OpenAI's ChatGPT and attaches to clothing magnetically. It allows users to ask questions, make calls, send texts, and more with voice commands. This tiny device also comes with a built-in camera that can identify things and provide information like calorie estimates for a food item. You could likely point it at historical monuments, too, to know more about them instead of pulling out your phone.
There’s a lot more to learn about our future in the whole list.
quiz of the week.
Bored for a few hours? This is mainly for Londoners - but we’ve all been there - how many tube station names can you fill in from a blank tube map !?
A cultural week
The Beatles last ever song.
Together and apart, The Beatles have always had a talent for the unexpected. And now, 2023 brings one of the most anticipated releases of their long and endlessly eventful history. “Now And Then” is the last ever Beatles song – written and sung by John Lennon, developed and worked on by Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, and now finally finished by Paul and Ringo over four decades later.
Above is a trailer for the single, “Now And Then”, which will be released worldwide at 2pm GMT on Thursday, November 2.
Laufey
Laufey Lín Jónsdóttir is a 24-year-old Icelandic singer-songwriter, known simply as Laufey. She describes her musical style, a mixture of jazz-pop and bedroom pop, as "modern jazz". Laufey has cited Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Chet Baker and Taylor Swift as sources of influence. She is already big across the world, without anyone noticing. Next year she will be massive. What do you think?
One last thing…
Date for the diary!
Do you remember that next year is the Paris Olympic Games? If, like me, you like to coincide the Olympic games with a holiday, so you can spend the morning on the beach and the late afternoon watching a heptathlon, then book your 2024 holiday between 26th July and 11th August.
Think you are too old to be classed as a midlifer?
You are!! According to former Love Island contestant Molly Mae Hague who has announced she is going through a midlife crisis - at 24 years old.
If you find this newsletter is ‘too much too young’… we suggest you sign up for the Saga newsletter, where this week you can find out how to make hot chocolate in an air-fryer.
See you next week!
Please share this issue, or if it was forwarded to you, please subscribe below, we publish once a week, every Thursday. Plus, please email us anything you think would benefit from being shared with Midlifer readers at chris@chrisward.cc
