TGIF! We made it through another tumultuous week.

This is the last weekend before taxes are to be filed. This is the last Friday before Passover and the Easter Tridiuum. Even if you are not observing these religious traditions, you may be busy preparing for brunches, egg hunts and the like.

So, I’ve decided to look for some more uplifting news this week. I hope you find something that encourages you, inspires you or simply makes you smile. (The last story definitely will.)

Until next time, be safe, be kind and be well!

Tough Conversations

I recently learned of Jefferson Fisher, a fifth generation Texas lawyer who has become famous for his communication advice. Fisher, who goes by the handle @JustaskJefferson on TikTok, first went viral for his “How to Argue Like a Lawyer” series.

In 2024, he launched a podcast. Listening to him speak is like drinking an iced glass of sweet tea on a hot summer’s day. He’s got a calm, measured cadence and a slight southern drawl that is instantly soothing to the nervous system.

In March, he published a book, The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More. He’s been promoting the book and doing a lot of interviews. While reading his interviews in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, I found it interesting how he approaches conversations, in part because of experiences in the courtroom with being a husband and father.

For example, when asked about having a productive conversation on which you and your partner don’t see eye to eye on, he says: “The first mistake is thinking that the first conversation will be the last conversation. You need to treat the first conversation almost as if you’re priming for the second conversation and the third one and the fourth one. The bigger the issue, the more conversations that are needed.”

I suspect part of his appeal is how simple and elegant everything he says is. I find myself listening, nodding along, then pausing and saying, “Wait, what did he say?” then stopping and rereading or replaying.

I’ve added myself to the waitlist for his book at my local library. I encourage you all to check out his platform and see why we need to have more tough conversations and conflict if we really want to listen and learn more from each other.

A Blood Test for Alzheimer’s

In a previous job, I used to do a lot of reporting on dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, the only top 10 cause of death in the U.S. with no known cure.

So, when I see articles about reducing risks and new testing, I get excited. This study article from CNN detailed how researchers are using biological markers, also known as biomarkers, to detect Alzheimer’s.

“No one is really looking at the changes in these biomarkers as outcome measures, as a way of tracking progress in a person’s journey to improve their brain,” said lead study author Dr. Kellyann Niotis, a preventive neurologist who studies Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases at the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Boca Raton, Florida. “We believe these biomarkers may show how the disease progression is being modified biologically by a person’s actions.”

Niotis and her colleagues examined a host of biomarkers, such as blood pressure, sleep hygiene, diet and exercise. They found through simple blood tests, not invasive or costly spinal taps, that improvement in the biomarkers also resulted in a measurable decrease in levels of amalyoid plaques and tau protein tangles, two hallmarks of the disease. In other words, researchers could see improvement in study participants’ physical and mental health.

Researchers caution that more investigation is needed, but it is yet another study that supports the mantra: What’s good for your body is good for your mind.

I hope you read this study article and let it guide you to make healthy choices.

Bodega Cats

On my past visits to New York City, I haven’t managed to meet a bodega cat. I am, however, delighted I am to see the cats at my local hardware store, garden center and bookstore. So, it’s easy to see how they have become a beloved fixture in the city.

I appreciate why food safety laws and regulations prohibit animals from stores that sell food. But I also understand why New Yorkers could so fiercely love their feline friends.

Some fans argue these aren’t any ordinary felines; these are cats with jobs, protecting the stores’ contents and customers from pests and rodents. The rest of them probably just like seeing, or perhaps petting, the bodega cats, who offer a fleeting connection in such a fast-paced and sometimes lonely city.

Honestly, just reading this story, which features photographs of many adorable cats, brought me joy, especially the yawning Marshmellow. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go find a cat or dog to pet.

I highly recommend you read this story and start following @BodegaCatsofNewYork on Instagram.