Embrace Variety

Just as we use only a fraction of our brain’s capacity, we don’t take

advantage of the enormous number of choices we have in every area
of
our lives. In the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the colors we
surround
ourselves with, the objects we collect, the people we choose to be
with, the
intellectual activities we enjoy, and the places we want to explore in
our
travels, we have a tendency to limit ourselves unnecessarily.
Surveys indicate that our enjoyment of a favorite ice cream fl avor
diminishes if we taste it every day for a prolonged period of time. The
unusual, when it becomes usual, lessens our pleasure. Studies prove
that
when we eat the same diet day after day, it becomes toxic and the
body
may be harmed as our pleasure decreases.
According to some ayurvedic practitioners, there are six different
varieties of taste: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent.
When
we enjoy spices, our metabolism rises by an astonishing 25 percent.
Approximately 80 percent of taste is linked to smell. One thing always
leads to another. When we broaden our food categories to incorporate
all six varieties of taste, we will also increase the variety of our
sensual
pleasures of taste, smell, sight, and touch.
Few pleasures last long without variety. We are stimulated to travel to
a different city, to explore a museum we’ve never been to before, to
go to a
remote island on vacation, or to try out a new restaurant. Life is
throbbing

with excitement. It is up to us to choose to step out of our safe

routines
and embrace fresh opportunities everywhere, finding new interests
and
discovering exciting adventures.
Dr. René Dubos, the wise student of human nature, once said, “I
am happy that there are on earth many worlds, instead of One World,
because diversity enriches human life.” Wherever we travel, we will
experience a unique spirit of place. Sometimes we feel at home in
a foreign country because we feel a soulful connection. While I’m as
American as apple pie, I’m drawn to the energy, the beauty, the
smells
and light of Provence. I would be blind to all the happiness this part
of France has provided for me over the past forty-fi ve years if I hadn’t
saved up all my change in mayonnaise jars to go see this charming
place
for myself.
The more we embrace variety, the more intensely active and alive
we’ll become. Scientists are encouraging us to have more variety in
our
activities in order to keep the brain stimulated. We’re encouraged to
perform mental calisthenics to try to keep our minds from fading, thus
reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s or other dementia.
The use-it-or-lose-it theory shows strong evidence that the more
intellectually stimulating our activities—learning Italian, going to
lectures
and the theater, reading, playing chess or bridge, or other hobbies, or
learning how to play a musical instrument, the less likely we are to
develop
Alzheimer’s. Scientists suspect that a lifetime of deep thinking may
create
a “cognitive reserve”—a reservoir of brainpower—we can draw upon.
Just as our body stores fat, our brain stores up all of our thinking,
which
is there for us as a vast cerebral storeroom.
Rob Stein, writing about the mysteries of the brain for the Washington
Post, reported that many researchers suspect “people may benefi t
most from engaging in a rich diversity of stimulating activities. New
experiences may be far more important than repeating the same task
over
and over.” Studies have found that combining mental stimulation with
social interaction appears to be highly beneficial. “Experts say the
task

should be enjoyable, because stress and other negative emotions

appear
harmful,” according to Stein’s report.
Around the country, scientists have launched brain training sessions:
elderly people take up quilting and acting classes, and volunteer as
tutors
or as librarians. “It was pretty amazing,” said Michelle Carlson of Johns
Hopkins in Baltimore, whose team found that the elderly volunteers
scored much better on problem-solving tests than before their training
and that their frontal lobes seem to have been invigorated. “We
observed
changes that appeared to show that their brains were functioning
more
like [those of] younger adults.” The bottom line: cutting-edge scientifi
c
research shows that not only should we exercise our bodies regularly,
but
we also should regularly exercise the “muscle” called our mind. We
are
never too young to concern ourselves with our memories. Dr. Gary
Small
of UCLA is worried about our ability to maintain our mental abilities. In
a
certain study, participants had a brain scan before and after going
through
a two-week “memory prescription” program consisting of a healthful
diet, regular exercise, relaxation techniques, and memory exercises.
The
findings were that in everyday memory, participants’ brains worked
more efficiently after following the program. We can all make up our
own memory exercises. Try to remember one piece of a family
member’s
wardrobe each morning, for instance. I find that once I write
something
down, I tend to remember it substantially better than when I don’t put
pen to paper.
What I find so compelling is that the bigger, richer, fuller our lives
are, the more varied, diverse, and broad our interests, the more we
will be
reducing the harmful effects of stress and negative emotions,
stimulating
our brains, and becoming happier. We’re built to fully experience the
marvels all around us and everywhere. Wise people have been telling
us for years that the good life is good for us. As my friend Mary Ellen
McCarthy, who lives across the street from me in Stonington Village,
loves to say, “How great is that!”
The first century b.c. Greek philosopher Publilius Syrus understood:

“No pleasure endures unseasoned by variety.” How can we keep

ourselves
from getting into ruts? How can we add variety to our routine?
I enjoy changing the location where I routinely work. I fi nd this
stimulating. Sometimes I sit outside in our tiny garden, or I’ll leave my
writing table in the Zen room and go sit by a cozy fire in the living
room
in the winter. The kitchen table is a great comfort when I need a
change.
The key is not to be rigid and inflexible as you go about your regular
routine. Each day, add some new experiences to your life to benefi t
from
the stimulation of variety:
- Try a new recipe.
- Learn a new word and use it in your vocabulary.
-Browse through an encyclopedia and learn something you never
knew about—perhaps Egyptian architecture or Japanese literature.
-Study up on all the different varieties of your favorite fl owers.
-Taste a flavor of ice cream you’ve never tried.
-Learn all the different varieties of butterflies you see in your yard.
- Identify all the birds you see.
-Study some aspect of astronomy.
- Plan a trip to a country you’ve never been to before.
-Wear a different color combination.
- Set the table with a new fresh coordination of plates, placemats,
napkins, and glasses.
- Use a different color ink in your fountain pen.
- Go to an ethnic restaurant and eat according to the custom of the
culture.
- Write a poem to a friend instead of a letter.
- Expose yourself to a new and different spiritual experience, always

searching, ever deepening and strengthening your inner life through

diversity.
- Go to a favorite museum and explore permanent exhibits you’ve
never seen. Listen to the audiotape. Take notes.
- Go to an entirely different part of town to buy your groceries.
- Try a new tea or coffee fl avor.
- Take all of the objects off your living room tables and surfaces. Put
everything back in a new, fresh way.
- If you’re right handed, do simple tasks with your left hand—this is
good for the brain’s balance.
- If you’re accustomed to e-mailing everyone for communication,
try writing short notes or postcards by hand, or use the fax or
telephone.
- Rather than photographing something you find beautiful, sketch it
with a pencil or pastels.
- Each year plant different color tulips or lilies.
- Move your art around to keep your eye fresh.
The more we embrace variety, the greater our chances of enjoying our
lives fully right to the end.