Journey With Joyspan

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Aging expert Dr. Kerry Burnight coined the term “joyspan” in her book, “The Art and Science of Thriving in Life’s Second Half,” asserting that “In a world obsessed with living longer, joyspan is about living better.” Kickstart your joyspan journey with just one hour a day, using Burnight’s four joyspan pillars: curiosity, adaptability, generosity, and connection.

Curiosity. Keep a running curiosity bucket list of topics you want to learn more about. Then, spend 20 minutes each day exploring an item from your list by reading up on it or watching a video online.

Adaptability. Spend 10 minutes each day trying to problem-solve a small annoyance. For example, an avid crocheter with arthritis might look into buying ergonomic hooks, rather than gritting through the pain or giving up the hobby altogether.

Generosity and connection. Give one of your most valuable resources: time. Spend 30 minutes chatting with a friend or loved one. Focus on their life, asking questions and noting events to follow up on later.

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