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Liberty Connects Episode 6: Science, Superstition, Screens, Smiles and Storage Fees
Liberty Connects Episode 6 by Liberty Senior Living explores aging well through topics like citizen science, old wives’ tales, smiling, iPads, decluttering and human behavior.
Senior Living Podcast Overview
What’s This Button Do?
Why the iPad Might Just Be Your New Favorite Sidekick explores how tablets are helping older adults stay connected, entertained and independent without the frustration of overly complicated technology.
This segment highlights how iPads and other tablets support everyday life through FaceTime calls, telehealth appointments, games, reading, streaming entertainment and creative hobbies. It’s a practical look at how technology can feel approachable, useful and enjoyable at any age.
Living Better
If Smiling Is Wrong, We Do Not Want to Be Right explores the surprising emotional, social and health benefits of smiling and genuine human connection.
This segment examines how expressions influence mood, relationships and overall well-being while reflecting on how photography and social culture have shaped the way people present themselves. It’s a reminder that joy, laughter and authenticity still matter in everyday life.
Matters that Matter
Old Wives’ Tales: The Original Influencers (No Ring Light Required) takes a humorous and thoughtful look at folklore, superstition and the surprisingly lasting power of generational advice.
This segment explores how old sayings and cultural beliefs continue to shape behavior, wellness trends and decision-making today. From broken mirrors to questionable cold remedies, it’s a conversation about tradition, storytelling and the human tendency to search for simple answers.
The Now List
Citizen Science: A Hobby That Opens New Worlds explores how everyday people are helping researchers study nature, space, history and science through accessible volunteer projects.
This segment highlights how citizen science encourages curiosity, lifelong learning and meaningful engagement while allowing older adults to contribute to real scientific discoveries. It’s a reminder that exploration and discovery do not belong to one generation or profession.
The Wisdom Exchange
Storage Units and Other Expensive Forms of Denial takes a funny but insightful look at clutter, storage units and the emotional side of holding onto belongings.
This segment explores why people delay downsizing, how possessions become tied to memory and identity and why simplifying can sometimes feel emotionally complicated. Through humor and honesty, listeners are encouraged to rethink what is truly worth keeping.
Looking Ahead
Liberty Connects continues to explore the ideas, trends, technologies and everyday experiences shaping modern aging and senior living.
Each episode features five engaging segments designed to spark curiosity, encourage conversation and celebrate living well at every stage of life.
To learn more about Liberty Senior Living and explore additional resources for aging well, visit LibertySeniorLiving.com.
Follow Liberty Connects for more conversations about senior living, wellness, technology, lifestyle and the experiences that help make every stage of life meaningful.
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Resources
Citizen Science: A Hobby That Opens New Worlds
Old Wives’ Tales
If Smiling is Wrong, We Don’t Want to be Right
Why the iPad Might Just Be Your New Favorite Sidekick
Storage Units and Other Expensive Forms of Denial
Podcast Transcript — Episode 6
Welcome to Liberty Connects, brought to you by Liberty Senior Living.
If you’re someone who cares about aging well, this is your place to discover what’s next and enjoy the journey.
Each Liberty Connects podcast is made up of five 5-minute segments. During this month’s episode, we are exploring citizen science explaining that as it turns out, your next hobby could help scientists explore space, track wildlife or solve real world mysteries; old wives tales, the original analog version of advice you never asked for; a playful, thoughtful look at how our picture-taking obsessed world is bringing back perfectly posed, slightly bored faces; how the iPad just might be your perfect sidekick; and how storage units have become an expensive form of postponing decisions.
I am your host, Lisa Fielding. Let’s get started.
Citizen Science: A Hobby That Opens New Worlds
As a child, did you ever dream of becoming an astronaut, exploring the far reaches of space or diving deep beneath the ocean like Jacques Cousteau? For many, that sense of adventure never truly disappears. It simply gets set aside as life moves in other directions.
What if that spirit of exploration were not something left behind, but something you could step back into today? Opportunities exist that invite everyday people to take part in real discovery.
One invitation puts it this way:
‘Join NASA researchers and discover the secrets of the universe, search for life elsewhere and protect and improve life on Earth and in space.’
At first glance, this may sound like a recruitment pitch meant for elite scientists with advanced degrees and years of specialized training. In reality, it is an invitation to something far more accessible: citizen science, a widely valued practice used by NASA and many other organizations to engage the public in meaningful research.
Everyday people contribute by collecting data, photographing wildlife, analyzing images, documenting observations and helping solve real-world problems. No lab coat or advanced degree is required. Often, all it takes is curiosity, a bit of time and a smartphone or computer.
Rather than relying only on small teams of researchers, citizen science breaks large projects into smaller tasks that many people can complete. Thousands of participants contribute pieces of information that are combined into large-scale research efforts. Because traditional research is often limited by time, funding and available staff, this approach allows scientists to gather data across regions and over long periods of time. The result is a scope and scale that no single team could achieve alone, supporting studies on climate patterns, wildlife populations and even distant galaxies.
For many older adults, this kind of discovery holds a lasting appeal. Citizen science offers a meaningful way to revisit interests that may have been set aside or never fully explored. A curiosity about astronomy, nature, history or medicine can take on new life, not as a career path, but as a deeply rewarding hobby. It creates an opportunity to engage with those fields in a relaxed and approachable way, rekindling curiosity while contributing to real discoveries.
Platforms like SciStarter and Zooniverse make it easy to find projects that match personal interests. Some involve outdoor observation, such as documenting plants or wildlife. Others can be done at a computer, including reviewing telescope images or transcribing historical records. Each project provides clear guidance, making it easy to begin and participate with confidence.
That combination of accessibility and purpose is what makes citizen science so engaging. Participants are not simply observing science from a distance. They are actively contributing to it, with small individual efforts adding up to meaningful discoveries across local, regional and global initiatives.
Flexibility is part of the appeal of citizen science. There are no strict schedules or requirements. A few minutes can be enough to contribute for some initiatives, whether during a quiet morning or a relaxed afternoon. Projects fit naturally into daily life, making participation simple and sustainable.
Citizen science also creates natural opportunities for shared experiences across generations. A walk outdoors can become a chance to document wildlife together. Time at home can turn into exploring images from space or identifying species side by side. It brings curiosity, learning and conversation together in a way that is engaging for all ages.
In a world that can sometimes feel increasingly complex, citizen science offers something refreshingly simple. The opportunity to explore, to contribute and to discover remains within reach.
Sometimes, it begins with nothing more than a question and the willingness to look a little closer.
To see just a small sample of what fascinating citizen science opportunities are available, download our Snapshot of Citizen Science at www.LibertySeniorLIving.com.
Old Wives’ Tales: The Original Influencers (No Ring Light Required)
Before there were viral videos, trending hashtags and a teenager on TikTok telling you to rub garlic on your feet to cure everything from a cold to existential dread, there were old wives’ tales…The original, analog version of advice you did not ask for, that managed to stick around and decades later, still sneak into real-life decisions.
In a sense, old wives’ tales can be seen as the precursor or historical foundation for the same kind of human behavior that now produces urban legends, just with slower distribution and more confined cultural and regional boundaries.
These were the sayings that raised us. The warnings that shaped us. The reason many fully grown adults still feel a flicker of unease when walking under a ladder or opening an umbrella indoors and will avoid doing so just in case.
So, where did these tales come from, and why are they still living rent-free in our heads?
Old wives’ tales date back to a time before books were common, before medical journals, before group chats, before Google could confirm that no, cracking your knuckles will not turn your hands into arthritic raisins. Knowledge was born, raised and shared in face-to-face conversations. It was passed from person to person, often from older women whose roles were as the unofficial doctors, midwives, therapists and life coaches of their communities.
These women relied not only on the information gained from having being recipients of old wives’ tales themselves, but also from observation, herbal remedies and a healthy dose of creative explanation. If a child got sick after playing in the rain, the rain became the villain. If someone sneezed and later fell ill, suddenly sneezing required an immediate “bless you” to keep wandering spirits at bay. Logical? Not always. Memorable? Extremely. Lastingly impactful? Unfortunately.
To be fair, many of these tales, the early ancestors of what we today call life hacks, were not nonsense. They were early attempts at making sense of a confusing world.
“Feed a cold, starve a fever” may not hold up perfectly under modern medical scrutiny, but it reflects an effort to respond differently to different symptoms in the hopes of being helpful. “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” is not exactly a guarantee, but it nudges people toward healthier habits.
Other old wives’ tales have been driven less about health and more about behavior. Tell a child that swallowing gum will keep it in their stomach for seven years and suddenly gum consumption drops dramatically. Is it scientifically accurate? Not even close. Is it effective parenting? Surprisingly, yes. Is it admirable parenting? You decide.
In many ways, old wives’ tales were the original behavioral design strategy, shaping habits and decisions through fear, humor and just enough plausibility to stick, no data, research or substance required.
For instance, enter the classic “a watched pot never boils” situation, which, spoiler alert, is plain old false but has still launched more impatient staring contests than anyone can reasonably count.
And then there are the wonderfully specific ones. If your ears are burning, someone is talking about you. If you drop food, you have exactly five seconds before it becomes a biohazard.
At some point, you have to admire the preciseness and confidence.
And then there are the examples that go beyond quirky and land firmly in the ‘do not do this’ category. For instance, putting whiskey on a baby’s gums for teething. That is not advice. That is what happens when folklore skips quality control.
Superstitions and old wives’ tales are close, often overlapping, but not interchangeable. Superstitions tend to hinge on the idea that certain actions can trigger good or bad luck, usually with a supernatural undertone. One action mysteriously causes another. Step on a crack, break your mother’s back. Spill salt, expect chaos unless you dramatically toss some over your shoulder (warning: check to make sure no one’s behind you first).
Old wives’ tales, on the other hand, present themselves as advice. They are less about fate and more about guidance, even if that guidance occasionally wanders into fiction.
Superstitions try to control luck. Old wives’ tales try to control behavior.
Still, the overlap is real. Many tales borrowed from superstition and many superstitions were packaged as practical advice. It is a shared universe of “just in case.”
Even in an age of instant fact-checking, many of these ideas persist. Part of that is nostalgia. These sayings are woven into childhood, family and culture. They feel familiar, and familiarity is powerful.
There is also the human brain’s love of patterns. If something bad happens after a mirror breaks, it is very tempting to connect the two. Congratulations, a superstition is born. If nothing, however, happens, we forget about it.
And then there is comfort. Old wives’ tales offer simple interventions for complicated or uncontrollable situations. They give us a sense, however small, that we can influence what happens next. Even if that influence is refusing to say anything too positive without immediately knocking on wood mid-conversation like a superstitious woodpecker with anxiety.
The modern upgrade, or today’s version of old wives’ tales, has a sleeker aesthetic and better lighting. Instead of being passed across kitchen tables, they travel through social media, wellness blogs and late-night scrolling sessions.
Drink this mysterious concoction. Try this oddly specific morning routine. Avoid this everyday habit because someone online said it is secretly ruining your life.
The format has changed. The instinct has not.
We are still drawn to quick answers, shared wisdom and advice that promises control over the uncontrollable. The only difference is that instead of one trusted voice in the community, we now have thousands, all speaking at once, often with equal confidence and wildly varying accuracy.
Here’s the takeaway. Old wives’ tales are not just relics of the past. They are a reminder of how humans have always tried to understand the world, care for one another and pass along knowledge, even when that knowledge was a little… improvised.
Some old wives’ tales need to be retired. Some are harmless and hilarious. Others still contain a surprising kernel of truth. All of them tell a story, not just about what people believed, but about what they needed to believe.
And if you still avoid walking under ladders, just in case, you are not alone. Some habits are less about logic and more about legacy.
If Smiling Is Wrong, We Do Not Want to Be Right
On the red carpet, everything looks perfectly staged. The clothing, the jewelry, the hair and the posture. Every detail is carefully arranged to signal importance, glamour and occasion. It is a world where presentation matters as much as presence.
And then you notice the faces.
Not exactly a smile, not quite relaxation either. More of a controlled expression, practiced and repeated, shaped for cameras that are always watching. It is not about joy. It is a carefully calibrated smirk, a practiced pout or something that can only be described as duck lips meets prune face in a high fashion standoff, outlined in perfectly applied lipstick.
In its own way, it reflects something older than celebrity culture.
There was a time in the not-that-distant past when photographs required stillness and patience. Early portraits often show very composed faces, not because people were unhappy, but because holding a natural expression for that long was difficult. Smiling simply was not practical in the same way it is today.
But it was not just the long exposure times. Smiling historically came with a bit of risk. Dental work was more aspirational than effective. Back in the day, there weren’t whiteners, veneers, braces, implants or dentures. Showing your teeth, or lack thereof, could reveal more or less than you intended. Keeping your mouth closed was less about mystery and more about discretion.
There was also a cultural side to it. In many eras, especially among older generations, a composed expression carried more formality. It suggested dignity, restraint and respectability. A wide, open smile in formal settings was not always the preferred demeanor.
Then photography changed everything.
Over time, photography became faster and easier. With Kodak leading the pack in developing cameras, picture taking turned casual, portable and wonderfully spontaneous. No more stiff poses or careful preparation. Suddenly, everyday moments were fair game, from family gatherings to holidays to those small, sweet interactions that might have otherwise slipped by.
Enter the smile. Genuine, unplanned and everywhere.
And with that shift, something else began to appear more naturally. Smiles that were not posed. Laughter that was not staged. Expressions that reflected how people actually felt in the moment.
For many today, those photographs are especially meaningful. They do not stand out because they are perfect. They stand out because they feel real. They capture life as it was lived rather than life as it was presented.
It is interesting, then, to look back at the red carpet and realize how much expression still circles around performance. Even today, in formal settings and public moments, there can be a tendency to trade ease for appearance. Carefully managed expressions replacing something more natural.
Which is unfortunate, because smiling carries far more weight than it is often given credit for.
For starters, it just looks good. There is a reason “your smile lights up the room” is one of the best compliments ever!
A smile is also one of the easiest mood boosters around. You smile, your brain takes the hint and things feel a little less tense. A small trick, but a reliable one. Even better, it’s contagious. One smile inspires another, and suddenly you have a moment of connection that costs nothing and means something.
At any age, a smile is one of the clearest ways we communicate. A smile reflects gratitude, thankfulness and simple pleasure in the moment. It says this is good, and I am glad to be here, without needing to explain.
It also works in your favor. Smiling makes you more approachable, more memorable and generally easier to be around. Not a bad return for such a simple gesture. And if it does not come naturally, even a fake smile can trick your mood in the right direction.
Spend a little time in our senior living communities, and you will notice something right away. Smiles are everywhere. Sincere, joyful smiles. They show up over morning coffee, during lively activities, in conversations with friends and in those in-between moments that make up a full day. They reflect lives being enjoyed, friendships that feel genuine and a sense of purpose that keeps each day engaging. They show appreciation for this chapter of their lives.
It is a reminder that the best parts of a day are often the simplest ones, and they tend to show up in a smile.
Why the iPad Might Just Be Your New Favorite Sidekick
People can get surprisingly passionate about their devices. Some swear by their phones. Others refuse to part with their laptops. And then there is the quietly confident overachiever sitting right in the middle: the tablet. More specifically, the iPad.
Even though choosing a favorite device is personal, the iPad makes a strong case for itself. It is a bit like the Goldilocks of tech. Not too small, not too big, just right.
Let’s start with the obvious. It is light. Grab-and-go portability light. You can carry this with one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, light. Whether you are traveling, sitting in your favorite chair or moving from room to room, it goes with you easily.
Then there is the screen. Bright, large and easy on the eyes. You can increase text size, zoom in or even use voice commands if typing feels like too much effort. The iPad is designed with accessibility in mind, which means it adjusts to you instead of the other way around.
And here is where it really shines. It is incredibly intuitive. Tap an icon, and you are there. No complicated setup. It is the kind of device that does not require a tech degree or a patient grandchild on standby.
Compared to a phone, which can feel a bit like reading a novel through a keyhole, the iPad gives you space to actually decipher and enjoy what you are doing. Compared to a laptop, it skips the bulk and the startup time. No mouse, no external keyboard required. You touch the screen, and it is ready. Instantly.
According to PCMag, the right apps can transform an iPad into almost anything. And they are not exaggerating. Along with the expected uses like email, browsing and video calls, it can just as easily become a cozy virtual fireplace on a quiet evening, a calming aquarium without the upkeep, a DJ for your next gathering or even a board game for a little friendly competition. It can guide you through a recipe step by step in the kitchen, serve as a teleprompter for speeches or presentations or become whatever you need in the moment with just a tap.
Want to read books and magazines? Simple. Watch movies or shows? Easy. Video chat with family using FaceTime? Just tap. Check email, browse the web, join a virtual class, manage photos or even attend a telehealth appointment or access your medical records? It is all right there.
For those feeling a bit creative, the Apple Pencil turns the iPad into a sketchpad or a notebook. In addition to channeling your inner artist, you can also jot down grocery lists and write notes without worrying about pencil shavings.
Battery life is another quiet win. It lasts. You are not constantly tethered to a charger or anxiously watching a percentage drop. It is ready when you are.
And if you are thinking, “I do not need a whole computer,” that is exactly the point. The iPad bridges the gap. It gives you the power to do what you want without the complexity you do not.
There are other commendable tablets out there, including the Samsung Galaxy Tab, Amazon Fire, Google Pixel Tablet and even options designed specifically for simplicity like GrandPad. But the iPad has earned its reputation as the gold standard, largely because of its ease of use, ability to interface with other Apple devices and the sheer number of things it can do well.
At the end of the day, the best device is the one that fits your life. But if you are looking for something that keeps you connected, entertained, informed and maybe even a little inspired, the iPad checks just about every box.
It is not just a piece of technology. It is a window to everything you enjoy, without the hassle. And that is a pretty nice thing to have within arm’s reach.
Storage Units and Other Expensive Forms of Denial
Storage units are the modern solution to a very ancient problem. Not conflict. Not rivalry. Not hardship.
The problem is simply that we cannot, under any circumstances, decide whether we still need the fondue set from 1993.
So we rent a box the size of a small apartment and call it temporary.
Temporary, of course, being a word that now means approximately ten to twenty years.
The self-storage industry has quietly become one of the fastest-growing sectors in commercial real estate. Forbes reported that as of 2023, there were more than 51,000 storage facilities in the United States. There’s an estimated 2.1 billion-with-a-b- square feet of storage space dedicated to our collective inability to let go.
The average rental of a 10 x 10 unit is $119/month. Which is a lot of money to spend to avoid making eye contact with a box of holiday sweaters.
At first, it seems reasonable. You are moving. You are downsizing. You are in transition. You just need a place for things until you figure it out.
Then time passes.
And suddenly you are paying monthly rent to store the white silk couch that no one was ever allowed to sit on in the first place, the antique soup tureen that you’re sure someone in your family will want someday and an eight-track tape player that is not so much vintage as it is aggressively irrelevant.
Out of sight, out of mind, except for when the monthly bill results in out-of-pocket.
Storage units are the go-to strategy for people who are not ready to decide but are very ready to postpone. It is not hoarding. It is not clutter. It is future planning with no actual plan.
And it is expensive procrastination.
Consider some very simple math. You put a treadmill that originally cost 1,000 dollars into storage. Then you pay about 100 to 150 dollars a month to keep it there. Fast forward ten years, and you have spent somewhere between 12,000 and 18,000 dollars on a treadmill you do not even use.
At that point, the treadmill is not a viable piece of fitness equipment any longer. It’s a monument to a New Year’s resolution that never quite made it to January 2nd.
Of course, storage units are not always villains. During moves and transitions, they can be genuinely useful. A temporary holding space can help bridge gaps in timing and logistics. The problem is not the existence of storage. The problem is the absence of an exit strategy.
And the industry knows it.
The sheer number of storage units has become so common that it has spawned an entire reality TV genre built around real people rifling through what others have paid hundreds of dollars to store, only to ultimately abandon. When the rent goes unpaid, liens accumulate and may result in an auction. Further irony emerges when the proceeds from auction do not cover the debt, and the original owner may still owe the difference. Nothing says closure like paying twice for the things you forgot you owned in the first place.
So why do we do it?
Because it is easier to pay for space than to make a decision.
Letting go requires judgment. Storage requires autopay.
If you are downsizing, there are alternatives that do not involve funding a long-term relationship with a metal roll-up door. Sell items through online marketplaces. Donate what you no longer use and take the tax benefit. Use a dumpster. Digitize paperwork and photos.
And if you truly must store something, give it a deadline. Not a hopeful someday. A real date. Otherwise, it is not storage. It is avoidance with billing statements.
There are simple questions worth asking before anything enters a storage unit.
Would you buy this today?
Do you really think this will come back in style? Or ever fit again?
Could you easily replace it if needed?
Do you need the three more just like it, when just one will suffice?
If the answer is no to any of these, then why are you paying rent on it?
If you have an emotional tie to the item, why is it being punished, sitting unappreciated in a dark box across town instead of being part of your daily life?
In the end, most storage units are not filled with things that matter. They are filled with the pause button version of our lives. Boxes of intention waiting for a future moment that keeps getting rescheduled. And somewhere between the holiday lights and the forgotten furniture, it becomes clear that storage is less about saving space and more about postponing the question of what we are actually ready to let go of.
To see our irreverent but true reality check about downsizing, visit www.LibertySeniorLiving.com for our The If…Then Decluttering Wisdom You Probably Knew and Probably Ignored Guide.
Podcast Outro
I hope today’s stories and insights have inspired you to enjoy life even more.
Be sure to tune in on the 5th of each month for more Liberty Connects stories and ideas. Please subscribe to our podcast and share it with family and friends
To learn more about us, visit LibertySeniorLiving.com.
I’m Lisa Fielding — thank you for joining me.