Stephanie West Allen blogged about (and turned me onto) an article by John Darling about to keep our brains fit as we advance in years. One of Darling’s suggestions (quoting “Brain Fitness” teacher Lorraine Jarvi) is to write your memoirs:
If reading is stimulating, writing is stimulation tenfold. Jarvi says keep a journal, challenging yourself to explore complex topics or current events. Also, write your memoirs, which stimulates the vital part of your brain used for memory — and it’s guaranteed to have interested readers at some point down the road.
I was reminded of the recent excellent HBO series on John Adams, who lived past 90 and seemed sharp to the end (at least in the mini-series). Bored after retirement, Adams wrote his memoirs.