My paternal grandmother ("Nanna"
) used to do crossword puzzles incessantly. I know she believed in the "use it or lose it," or more accurately phrased, "use it, increase it" principle.
She stayed sharp until she died. She was always independent: my parents built a house with a suite downstairs as a living quarters for her, but she refused to ever consider moving in. Her motto was, "I will die with my boots on."
One day, after shopping at the nearby grocery store on foot, as was her custom (Lansing, Michigan winters included) she collapsed on the living room floor--with her boots on, at 87. (Not bad for a single mom.)
