Of interest: what to do with uncertainty, needing others, a Mahjong surge, Winnie marks a milestone.
You can always grow.
A change is gonna come.
Best laid plans notwithstanding, “If you are not able to deal with the fact that the universe is uncertain, you are going to have a really difficult time being happy and having a good quality of life.” So says Michel Dugas, a psychology professor at the University of Québec in Outaouais. Fortunately, you can grow your ability to face uncertainty — perhaps even embrace it:
1. Put your phone down.
While a mobile phone means knowing almost anything immediately, it also means we cut off the chance to live with not knowing. In fact, it’s okay to not know.
2. Practice not knowing.
Leave the phone at home. Make decisions without others’ reassurance. Engage in an absorbing or mindfulness activity to redirect your attention from repetitive thoughts and worry to the present moment.
3. Think like a kid.
Remember when surprises were exciting? “As we get older, we tend to worry more and think about all the potential uncertainties,” says Pema Chodron, author of Comfortable with Uncertainty. “Kids embrace the curveballs.”
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Come together right now.
A study published in October 2026, reveals how spending time with people — even without social interaction — affects positive emotions. Titled “Happiness Loves Company? Positive Affect and the Momentary Social Context,” the study analyzes data from 352 older adults in Chicago. The finding? “Sometimes just being around people in general gives a boost in happiness.” Headlong toward the holidays, this might be news to heed. “These findings are especially important during a time when more people spend an increasing amount of time alone. … Also, they highlight the importance of ensuring that older relatives and friends do not spend too much time all by themselves.” Full Story >>
And fewer injuries than pickleball.
Mahjong, the game “built on presence, touch and unhurried connection,” is back. “The Chinese rummy-style game that may conjure thoughts of tiles clacking and elders playing has undergone a stunning resurgence, led in no small part by millennials and members of Gen Z from the greater Asian community.” With traditions that include Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, Filipino, and American styles, the game has more than 40 known versions of the rules. “’Mahjong has always been a way to find community,’ says Annelise Heinz, Ph.D., a historian at the University of Oregon and the author of Mahjong: A Chinese Game and the Making of Modern American Culture.” Full Story >>
Never forgotten.
Winnie the Pooh recently turned 100. Despite Paddington competition, he and his pals are as cherished as ever. “In our speeded-up age, where children spend more time on screens than outdoors, AA Milne’s world of freedom and innocence remains deeply comforting, for ‘in that enchanted place on the top of the forest a little boy and his Bear will always be playing.’” Full Story >>
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