Big Sir
Bevin Hong

First things first. Let’s get the date right.

SIR Branch 34 normally meets on the first Thursday of the month.

In November, we’re meeting on the first WEDNESDAY.

Yes, Wednesday.

After last month’s confusion over which Thursday we were meeting, apparently the solution was obvious:

Stop meeting on Thursday.

So please mark your calendar now. And if you’re like me, don’t just mark it—set a reminder.

Speaking of calendars…

One of the surprises of retirement is how busy we become.

For years, we dreamed about the day when nobody could tell us where we had to be or what time we had to be there. No meetings. No deadlines. No alarm clocks.

Then we retired…and immediately started filling our calendars again.

Golf. Bocce. Breakfast. Coffee. Poker. Lunches. Wine. Beer. Bridge. Doctor appointments.

Lots and lots of doctor appointments.

But there’s an important difference.

Most of the things on our calendars today are there because we want them to be.

Last month I wrote about Blue Zones and how friendships, social connections, activity, and having a sense of purpose may contribute to living longer and healthier lives.

Maybe one of the secrets isn’t simply having a full calendar.

It’s having a calendar filled with people you enjoy spending time with.

That’s one of the things I’m thankful for this November.

As we get older, it’s easy for our worlds to become smaller. We retire from our jobs. Kids and grandkids have busy lives of their own. Friends move away. And nobody from the office is wondering why we haven’t shown up for work.

Actually, that last one is pretty nice.

But staying connected takes a little more effort than it used to.

That’s where SIR comes in.

SIR gives us a reason to get out of the house, try something new, laugh with friends, and occasionally argue about a golf handicap or who really won the last poker game.

More importantly, it gives us community.

So as Thanksgiving approaches, I hope we all take a moment to appreciate what we have—our families, our friendships, our health, and the opportunity to spend time with people whose company we enjoy.

And maybe reach out to someone we haven’t seen in a while. Invite him to lunch, golf, breakfast, or one of our activities. Better yet, bring a friend who isn’t a SIR member.

After all, if last month’s Blue Zones research was right, you might actually be helping him live longer.

Just don’t tell him about all the doctor appointments.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I’ll see you at our November luncheon.

On WEDNESDAY.

Not Thursday.

I checked.

Bevin Hong
Big SIR, Branch 34

Little Sir
Casey Brierley

Our speaker for November 4th will be Dr. Aldair Gongora from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. His work blends artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics to speed up scientific discovery, including developing self-driving laboratories where robots run experiments and software decides the next steps.

Should be a fascinating topic for what we will see in the coming years. See you on Wednesday, November 4th.

Casey

Activities Chairman
Peter Weeks
pweeks6166@gmail.com
925-353-0234