4 the Better: Late-blooming Painter, Judy Walks Update, Brain Flushing and Training
Bite-sized inspiration and information in 4 minutes
Prolific Late-blooming Painter
You probably recognize her famous folk-art paintings and may even know her name, but I bet you don’t know when she first picked up a paintbrush. Anna Mary Robertson Moses, also known as “Grandma Moses”—a nickname given by a Herald Tribune reviewer—was an immensely popular folk artist in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Her idealistic and nostalgic paintings of rural New York and Virginia were widely exhibited and reproduced; even Hallmark licensed her artwork for greeting cards, which sold over 16 million copies in 1947 alone. Let that sink in.
Getting back to her picking up a paintbrush… Although she was a farm wife, mother, and grandmother who sold home-baked goods to help support her family, Moses’ original hobby was creating needlework and quilts portraying her version of idyllic, non-industrial farm life. When arthritis made it impossible for her to hold a needle, at the age of 78, with no formal training and repurposed materials, she switched to painting her beloved scenes instead.
True to the roots of folk art, she used materials readily at her disposal, such as old canvas, boards, and leftover house paints. She implemented pins and matches for tiny details and even sprinkled her winter scenes with glitter to make the snow glisten. Although art critics considered this amateurish, she liked it and was undeterred.
A chance encounter with a New York collector sparked a thriving 20-plus-year career, including penning her autobiography, My Life’s History, in 1952 at the age of 92. She continued to exhibit internationally throughout her 90s and was still painting until a few months before her death at the age of 101 in 1961.
As a child, I was always drawing and taking painting classes. As a design major in college, I also had a slew of foundational courses in drawing and illustrating. But since then, I haven’t created art for pleasure…which I miss. For quite a while, I’ve been telling Andrea that I’m going to start painting again when I turn 80—I figure I’ll have more time by then. But every so often, I find myself thinking that’s a foolish dream…until now.
Thank you, Grandma Moses, for showing me it’s never too late to pick up a paintbrush and follow your heart.
Update: Judy Walks…and Walks…
In the last installment of 4 the Better, I introduced you to Judy Benjamin, the determined 80-year-old Alzheimer’s survivor who had just begun an unimaginable quest to walk over 3,000 miles across the country, from the shores of San Diego, California, to the sands of St. Augustine, Florida. In case you haven't been following her progress, as of June 11, 2025, this amazing woman has walked over 851 miles through California, Arizona, New Mexico, and has now crossed into Texas!
Granted, she has sponsoship and a small but mighty team assisting her, but still, undertaking this endeavor at her age, facing long, desolate stretches of road alone, and all the battles that accompany it, is impressive and inspirational. When I need a little pick-me-up, I check in on her progress, and she always makes me smile. Go, Judy, go!
Your Brain Literally Flushes at Night
A couple of weeks ago, in The Labyrinthine Lymph, I wrote about our miraculous waste management and nutrient delivery lymphatic system, an unsung hero in our overall health and wellness. Allow me to introduce you to its newly discovered brain sibling, the glymphatic system.
Much like its big sister, it too delivers nutrients and clears waste, but solely in the brain and primarily during sleep, particularly during slow-wave sleep, which generally occurs in the first few hours of sleep. The function involves cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flowing through the brain along perivascular spaces, where it mixes with interstitial fluid to remove waste.
A healthy glymphatic system is crucial for maintaining brain health and may play a pivotal role in preventing neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's. A thorough understanding of this intricate system could lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies for brain diseases. For instance, a study published in Nature by researchers from the IBS Center for Vascular Research demonstrated that precisely stimulating the lymphatics under the skin on the neck and face can significantly enhance the flow of cerebrospinal fluid through lymphatic vessels, thereby carrying out harmful substances that contribute to neurodegenerative diseases.
The adage “to sleep on it” and look “with fresh eyes”at a matter in the morning has very real physiological roots in the glymphatic system, and could also hold the key to the future of cognitive care. Even more reason to protect your sleep and move your lymphatic and glymphatic systems!
Train Your Brain
Speaking of brains, mentally stimulating activities help keep your brain healthy and ward off cognitive decline that challenges your memory, language, and reasoning skills. Activities such as reading, learning a new language, solving crossword puzzles and brain teasers, playing Sudoku, and engaging in chess are particularly beneficial. (I break around 5:00 in the afternoon and hop on Elevate for a few brain games.) Creative writing, art, and playing a musical instrument likewise stimulate multiple cognitive functions and promote imagination and emotional expression. (Witness Grandma Moses, 101!)
Physical activity also plays a crucial role in maintaining the health of your brain by increasing blood flow and promoting the release of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which strengthens connections between neurons. Racket sports such as tennis, pickleball, and ping pong offer the additional benefit of mental agility.
Stop scrolling and start training your brain!
Check out our updated Ageosophy Substack; the navigation now features two new categories, Health & Wellness and Wellbeing, making it easier to find topics of interest. If you have any questions, requests, or suggestions, please feel free to message me.