I Am Enough—A Poem About Worthiness

At last week's Wellness Wednesday, I had the honor of interviewing Ashton Applewhite, author of This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism. We had a frank discussion about the negative beliefs we hold about aging. After the program, it was refreshing to receive participant comments like these:

These wonderful comments reminded me of a poem called "I Am Enough--A Poem About Worthiness" by Jennifer Healy. I have shared an excerpt below, and you can find the entire poem here. 

I Am Enough by Jennifer Healy

There is a wholeness that’s already mine.

It’s already ours.

I am not just the seed,

I am the rain that waters the flower.

It’s a reality that’s already there,

That I am enough.


I feel the fullness of my life in this moment.

I feel the richness of my life in this space.

I am loved beyond thought,

And I have nothing to prove.

There is no one to impress.

I receive the message

That being is enough.

Beyond the shadows

That I have created,

The message remains:

I am the same.

I have always been enough,

Simply by being here.

Simply by being.

It only takes a moment,

And I remember this again.

New Study Shows Link Between Pet Ownership and Brain Health

A study published December 26th in JAMA Network Open (1) suggests that individuals over 50 living alone may mitigate verbal cognition decline by owning a pet. The research, conducted by Dr. Ciyong Lu, Professor of Epidemiology and Medical Science, indicates that pet ownership could counteract the cognitive effects of living alone, particularly in terms of word recall and understanding.