ABC news reported on a story about Afghani women who have signed up to a non-profit called Afghan Women on the Move that teaches them to drive and swim as they adjust to Australian life.

The article written by ​​Housnia Shams reports:

“Ten months after arriving in Australia from Afghanistan, Rabia Johini has taken on a new challenge — learning to swim. The 32-year-old, who left Afghanistan after the Taliban took over, had never stepped foot in a pool until last month, when she decided to join a program that offers free swimming lessons to newly-arrived Afghan women in Sydney’s west.”
More than 40 women have participated in the program, which is run by non-profit community organisation Afghan Women on the Move (AWOTM).

The women wear matching colourful burkinis and tie-dye swimming caps, given to them as part of the program.”

Photo credit: (ABC News: Maryanne Taouk)

Angela Álvarez makes history, winning a grammy at age 95!

Feeling like you’re past it? Take inspiration from Angela Alvarez – the 95 year Cuban-American woman has won her first Grammy for … Best New Artist. In doing so, this queen is offering a timely reminder to our inner “but you’re too old” voice, that it can take an extremely long nap.

In the article published by CNN’s ​​Marysabel Huston-Crespo:

Angela Álvarez made Latin Grammy history on Thursday by winning the award for best new artist at age 95. The Cuban-native’s passion for music began in her youth. She was discouraged from pursuing a career in music by her father but found joy performing for her family. The mother of four, grandmother of nine and the great-grandmother of 15 immigrated to the United States in the 1960s, according to Billboard.

Álvarez concluded her speech on Thursday with words of inspiration: “To those who have not fulfilled their dream, although life is difficult, there is always a way out and with faith and love you can achieve it, I promise you,” Álvarez added “It’s never too late.”

Photo credit: (Gabe Ginsberg | Getty Images via AFP)

Newly published research by Harvard that studied different racial groups found that higher levels of optimism were associated with longer life spans.

The paper published in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (June, 2022) reported:

“Although optimism itself may be affected by social structural factors, such as race and ethnicity, our research suggests that the benefits of optimism may hold across diverse groups,” said the study’s lead author, Hayami Koga, a Ph.D. student in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences studying in the Population Health Sciences program in partnership with Harvard Chan School.

So, even though you can’t feel lemon zesty all the time, it’s nice to know that an optimistic outlook can help us squeeze a little more out of life.