Jessica's Friday Five: Halloween seeds, Zoom shortcuts, and dementia risk

Hi Reader,

Thank you for voting last week on which charity we should donate to as a community (more information on how these donations are generated can be found here). The $600 was split proportionally according to the votes across the three charities, with the majority given to the National Parks Foundation. We'll vote again in a few months with whatever amount we've collected by then.

Let's get to your Friday Five with 5 tips for living a more joyful and easy life:

1. Halloween Good Deed: I just ordered my annual set of Halloween-themed seed packets from Save the Monarchs to pass out to trick-or-treaters next month. I always offer candy and seed packets, and they can get both or pick one or the other. I'm always surprised at how delighted the kids are about getting a packet of seeds! They're for milkweed, which supports monarch butterflies and brings them to your neighborhood when your neighbors start planting them. I googled and found that code HALLOWEEN25 saves you a little bit on your order.
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2. Stop copying Zoom links like it's 2019: A while back, I watched a friend manually paste a Zoom link into a calendar invite this week and had to share the Google Calendar Zoom add-on—it does this automatically for every meeting! Pro tip: if you're on paid Google Workspace but using Zoom, turn off Google Meet in your Admin Panel so Zoom becomes your default. Figured y'all might want this little time-saver too!
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3. If you're a parent: I'm joining Rachel's (free) book club conversation in a few weeks about The Anxious Generation - How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. I haven't yet read the book, but Rachel has curated a podcast, some videos, and some articles for anyone who won't have a chance to read the book before we gather on September 25th to discuss. She said, "This discussion is for parents who feel anxious about reading this book (me!), need a non-judgmental space to talk about the realities of their kids' digital life, or want facts, not fear." I'll see you in the Zoom room if you join!​
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4. Shingles vaccine can lower dementia risk: I recently learned that the link between receiving a shingles vaccine and reducing your risk of dementia is becoming stronger with new research. I've had several friends get severe cases of shingles. So I decided 7 months ago (and wrote about it then) to pay out of pocket to get an early shingles vaccine (my insurance doesn't cover it until age 50) because of the public health trend where the average age of people getting shingles is getting lower and lower. Here's the new study about lowering dementia risk.
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5. Protecting your credit: A Friday Fiver (hi Amber!) asked me how we're thinking about protecting our credit and dealing with identity theft (I've had my identity stolen more than once, once involving a whole FBI investigation...). I made her a quick cell phone video to explain the 4 things I do to prevent further identity theft for me (and for my kids), and I thought it might help others, too, so I put it on YouTube for you.

Bonus Sponsor Resource: Travel-Sized Hypochlorous Acid Spray. I had two big trips in the last few weeks, and both times I really missed having my hypochlorous acid spray. So, this week, I ordered a travel-sized version. I follow several dermatologists on social media who suggest this low-cost product, and I use it on my face, underarms, and even on minor injuries - it is so helpful. My daughter uses it after her gym class in middle school, too. Don't take it from me, though - this derm shares a bunch of uses in this quick video. This resource is from one of our Friday Five sponsors - thank you to them for keeping this newsletter free for readers!

Last Friday's Most-Clicked Link: Leanne's Passive Income Blueprint with 30 creative ideas to earn passive income.