Friends make a positive difference

After a wonderful mini-vacation and the start of a new consulting project, I am returning to blogging about health issues feeling renewed and refreshed. I definitely recommend a long weekend with old friends as a spiritual renewal therapy. We flew to Las Vegas and enjoyed the warm desert sun, the crazy action of the casinos, the wonderful stage shows of Bette Midler, Cirque du Soleil and Donnie and Marie Osmond and the zany company of six friends whom I have known since I was 17. This is good mental health in action! But don't take my word for the benefits of good friends. An Australian study reports that among 1,500 older people studied for 10 years, those who had a large network of friends outlived those with the fewest friends by 22%, according to WebMD. That's a great result! So, I feel blessed that I have good friends who are willing to share my joys and struggles. We are already talking about our next trip together, so I guess that will add another few months to our lives, according to the study!