One thing that gives us hope is hanging around positive people.

Ann Menshel walking in The Big Horn Mts.

You know hope is a powerful motivation. And having hope that tomorrow will be a better day is a good thing.

One thing that gives us hope is hanging around positive people. The other day I went with my mother-in-law to a senior luncheon. The food was tasty and simple and the people there were talking with their friends in their subgroups. The room was loud with laughter and talk. There were more women there then men. We talked to people around us. And during the dinner they had a guitar player singing a lot of the old songs from the 50s through the 70s. The songs of reminded me of the songs that we used to play at the TMH dinners down at JT Central. Mentally handicapped children know the old songs of their parents. There was a lot of line dancing because typically the women dance and the guys just sit as wallflowers. Not much different than high school. It may be one of the reasons why women live longer. As the seniors dance I couldn't help but notice that they shed off the old small steps and became a lot younger again.
Seeing first hand a social event where there was a little walking and lots of talking and laughter. All this was in my mind when I read “Older Adults Benefit from Positive Social Networks”

By RICK NAUERT PHD Senior News Editor: http://psychcentral.com/news/2014/05/29/older-adults-benefit-from-positive-social-networks/70510.html
Overall having regular interactions with family and friends and being involved in several different social networks appear to help older adults be healthier.
But not all social interactions are healthy. Hanging around negative people it is discovered can bring on hypertension or high blood pressure, or even depression and a general unhappiness. Interesting I have sort of discovered that on my own. There are negative people who have excessive demands, criticism, and are basically a kind of a disappointment. With such people we have to learn to set up boundaries or in some cases it's just better to not even make a contact at all.

Seeking out positive people and avoiding negative people is the five dollar tip of the day. A good read on the subject is Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No, Take control of your life, By Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend.
There is other kinds of behavior that might involve smoking or drinking alcohol and these behaviors have a negative impact on the on the quality of our life and even our mortality. So here we have the positive social behavior but there are complications. We can overeat, over drink and be around second hand smoke or smoke ourselves. We may enjoy the situation but behaviors are not good for us. How can we reduce our risk? We could stay clear of such outings. Or we could take steps to improve the outing. With eating and drinking be moderate. One ¾ plate no more and no more than two drinks a day. Decide to quit smoking yourself and find ways to deal with second hand smoke. Meet in places where inside smoking is prohibited and the smoker has to go outside. Make sure there is plenty of ventilation.

Food for church groups can be toxic for their health. We have traded cigarettes and drinking for food. Getting together is good but food can and does make it harmful. Reduce protein to the size of your palm. Reduce your carbs. Surround your plate with fruits and veggies. Stick to one helping. As you stick to your plan, in time watch those encouraged by your example. Bring tasting healthy food to potlucks. Think of ways you can eat healthier at events so that you can max the blessing of the fellowship. Keep walking