YOU CAN TEACH OLD DOGS NEW TRICKS!
In my book, I
provide ample evidence that learning something new is not the domain of the
young. In fact, neuroscience proves that you can learn anything at any age. Old
dogs can therefore learn new tricks!
That is
precisely what one inspirational woman has done very recently. Dr Margaret
Bradshaw MBE, a renowned botanist aged 95, learnt to ride a horse at the age of
93. The question we may very well ask is why would you want to learn to ride at
this stage of life?
On the 2nd of July, Dr Bradshaw took on an 88 km
trek that represents the boundary distance of the River Tees catchment area.
This area is home to many rare species of plants. Dr Bradshaw is aware that
several of these species in the Upper Teesdale are on the decline, having
survived since the last ice age.
This area
is one of the top
five botanical sites in the British Isles. Dr Bradshaw founded
the Upper Teesdale Special Flora Research and Conservation Trust that became a
charity in early 2020. The purpose of the Trust was to raise awareness of the
unique and rare species of plants to be found here. The Trust also conducts
botanical surveys in support of the activities to protect and preserve the
future survival of these rare plants.
It is the
intention of Dr Bradshaw that all monies raised will go towards the activities
to preserve the heritage of this region for future generations. She has seen
these species decrease over the 50 years that she has studied rare flora. Dr
Bradshaw suggests it is imperative that records are kept as to what is
happening to the flora and experiment with ways to halt the decline.
The learning
of certain skills and activities has been proven to have positive effects on
our brains, which also has the added benefit of preventing neurodegenerative
diseases. It is irrelevant whether your brain 9 or 90. What matters is what we
do with our brains.
The brain is
like a muscle and needs regular exercising to remain active. The key message is
that we will have a much more resilient brain to deal with degeneration if it
is regularly challenged and applied to new tasks.
Dr Margaret
Bradshaw is yet another example of what we can achieve with the right attitude.
Let that be your daily inspiration!
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