Reader's Digest 12.01 2022

BONUS DECEMBER 2021/JANUARY 2022
FICTION BY
HOLIDAY
MITCH
ALBOM ANGELS
KINDNESS IN ACTION
P.70
How to
13 BREATHE

Things BETTER
About
BOARD From the book BREATH
GAMES
High Cost of
By EMILY GOVERNMENT
GOODMAN
WASTE

By DEREK BURNETT

The New
Rules of
LAUNDRY

From the book LAUNDRY LOVE

Why Try
DRY

JANUARY?

From THEHEALTHY.COM



A Trusted Friend in a Complicated World

Features

56

josÉ valencia/getty iMages (Moon), anDrey chaikin/getty iMages (reflection), a-Digit/getty iMages Cover story 82 90
(float), whatawin/getty iMages (sky), Maria aMaDor (stars). joleen ZuBek (tree)
ANGELS IN ACTION* HealtH 94

As our collection of You’re Breathing Feature How to
holiday miracle stories
reveals, the gifts we get All Wrong* New Rules of Laundry*
from people we don’t
know are often ones Improve your health, Save time, money, and
that keep on giving. sleep, and well-being. your clothes with help
from “the Laundry Guy.”
By reBecca Meiser By jaMes nestor froM
the Book Breath By Patric richarDson with
72 karin B. Miller froM
90 the Book launDry love
NatioNal iNterest
FiCtioN 104
What a Waste!*
“Haven’t You Been Drama iN real liFe
Fighter jets that don’t
work as advertised, Calling Me?”* 30 Minutes Left
subsidies for costly to Breathe
cultural events... Do you When a mysterious
know how the federal man drifts to a lifeboat The snow that encased
government is spending full of survivors, he asks Ken Scott was so heavy
your tax dollars? one simple question. he knew death was just
a matter of time.
By Derek Burnett By Mitch alBoM froM the Book
the stranger in the lifeBoat By roBert kiener
56

cover Photo by Joleen Zubek

Reader’s Digest Contents

Departments tHE food on 27
your platE
4 Dear Reader The Healthy
6 Letters 27 I Am Broccoli
45 Stretch Yourself
EvEryday HEroEs By kate loweNSteiN
aNd daNiel gritzer By laura williamS
12 Braving the BuStoS
Waters lifE WEll livEd
49 Is Dry January
By Brad Schmitt 32 Warning: This Right for You?*
from the NaShville Fruit May
teNNeSSeaN Orbisculate By charlotte hiltoN
aNderSoN
16 Kindness on Auto By Sadie diNgfelder
from the 50 News from the
By aNdy SimmoNS waShiNgtoN poSt World of Medicine

WE found a fix BEst pEt pals Brain Games

20 Raise Your 38 Coming Out of 114 Secret Santa,
iPhone’s Volume, His Shell and More
Then the Roof,
and More Where, oh Where? 117 Word Power
120 Photo Finish
13 tHings 40 Winter Wonderland

22 Boredom-Busting QuotaBlE QuotEs
Facts About Board
Games* 42 Angela Bassett,
Susan Orlean,
By emily goodmaN Tyler Perry

Humor daN roBertS (Broccoli). victoriya89/getty imageS (popcorN)

Life in These United States 18

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Humor in Uniform 30

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Laugh Lines 36

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All in a Day’s Work 54

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Laughter, the Best Medicine 70

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2 dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022 | Rd.com * Story referenced on cover

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Reader’s Digest

DEAR READER

Seeing Red

In college, I wrote an essay about One June day, I called my mom. from top: Danna Cable. matthew Cohen
Christmas Eve. I wanted to capture “Whatcha doing?” I asked. “Sitting
the spirit of this special night for my here looking at Buddie’s tree,” she
family. I got an A, but even better was said, referring to the arborvitae (tree
this comment from my professor: “I of life) the funeral home had sent
believe you have found an avocation.” home with us. It was about a foot
tall when my dad planted it; today it
I had to look up “avocation.” towers over the roofline.
According to Merriam-Webster, it
means “a subordinate occupation “There are cardinals all over it,”
pursued in addition to one’s vocation Mom said. “I’ve never seen so many.”
especially for enjoyment: HOBBY.”
It can also mean “customary employ- I wasn’t surprised. “Mom, you know
ment,” or vocation. I’m not sure which what day it is, right?” I said. “It’s Aunt
way the professor meant it, but either Bud’s birthday.” So of course she had
way, he turned out to be right. come to visit—with friends.

My essay described our traditions: In this issue, we’ve collected in-
chili, church, two presents (paja- spiring stories about unusual events
mas, plus a gift of our choosing). A that happened around the holidays.
lot of it was about my Aunt Bud, the This year we focus on people who ex-
matriarch of my mom’s family. We
were lucky we lived closest, so she tended a kindness that made a for-
spent holidays at our house. Sadly, ever difference in someone’s life.
she’s gone now. Like so many “Angels in action,” we call them.
wonderful spirits, she died too
young, just after she retired with I hope your angels visit you
big plans for an easy life. this holiday season. RD

But she’s not really gone. Jody L. Rohlena,
She visits us all often, in the Deputy Editor
form of a cardinal—her
favorite bird and one that Write to me at
actually looks a lot like
her. Round and bossy. [email protected].

4 dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022 | Rd.com

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Reader’s Digest

LETTERS My mother, who is now
96 years old, still reads
Notes on without glasses and
past issues walks without a cane.
—f.P. via rd.com

Speaking Fluent Fatherlish If Your Block
Could Talk
I was five years old, and my dad wasn’t as
affectionate as my mom. I believed he didn’t In your list of all the
love me as much. One night, my bedroom ways the United States
door opened just a bit. My dad whispered, Postal Service has
“Johnny, are you awake?” Feigning sleep, delivered mail—via
I didn’t answer. I felt his hand on my cheek ski, boat, stagecoach,
and a kiss on my forehead. He whispered, roller skate, motorcycle,
“I love you, son.” It was his way of speaking Segway, toboggan,
“Fatherlish” (October). etc. (July/August)—
you missed one. St.
—Johnny smith Lake of the Woods, Virginia Petersburg, Florida,
is one of three cities
How to Be The New Truth in the United States rd photo studio
(Slightly) Funnier About Cholesterol where mail is still
delivered by bicycle.
In a church meeting, After reading how we —yvonne lindberg
someone announced don’t have to avoid Parma, Ohio
that our thrift store had eggs to keep cholesterol
received a dozen urns down (October), I Life in These
for cremation ashes. remembered telling my United States
Without thinking, I doctor that my 86-year-
said, “I’m dying to get old mother had eaten I laughed out loud
one!” Dead silence. I two soft-boiled eggs when I read about
was embarrassed about every morning since the boy who told his
having said that—until she was 16 and read parents he couldn’t
this article (October). without glasses and wear his Spider-Man
—David smith walked without a cane. costume to get a
Fort Mill, Stunned, he advised haircut because they
South Carolina me to keep eating eggs. would know he was
Spider-Man (October).
I sent a photo of the
page to my son and
asked how his own

6 DEC 2021 ✦ Jan 2022

five-year-old Spider- architect, contractor, THE BEST DESSERT
Man was doing. We had and developer. Next IN EVERY STATE
a good laugh about it. month we will celebrate
That’s something I have our 63rd anniversary I have to tell you how
always loved about surrounded by our much fun we had with
Reader’s Digest—you loving children, this story (July/August).
know how to get a grandchildren, and I’ve been choosing one
conversation started! great-grandchildren. state a week and baking
—Jeff way Our lives together the featured dessert
Bondurant, Iowa couldn’t have turned for my tennis pals. They
out any better for us. then guess what state
The Reunion —D.R. via rd.com it’s from. Extra desserts
of a Lifetime go to my neighbors.
Finding My Funny Everyone waits for each
We met and fell deeply week’s treat. The hardest
in love during our Your story about Loni one for me to make was
freshman year in Love staying true to Ohio’s Buckeye peanut
college. Like Donna in herself in her comedy butter balls since I’m
the Everyday Miracle routine instead of doing a Michigan Wolverine.
story (October), Carol what the teacher wanted Thanks for the idea!
got pregnant. We (September) touched
married with our me. I was happy she was —Sue Halverson
parents’ blessings and able to break a stereo- north Fort Myers, Florida
had a beautiful son. type that someone else
We went on to have thought she should fit. I
five children. Both also grew up in Detroit
of us earned advanced and know how harmful
degrees. Carol became stereotypes can be.
a teacher and I enjoyed —Ruth Lorenzetti
a career as an engineer, Warren, Michigan

christopher testani Minor Miracles

There’s good in the world, we just know it—mostly because our readers remind
us every day. Has something happened for you that was so incredible it can’t be
considered anything short of a miracle? Is there a miracle worker in your life who
makes everything better? If you’re convinced you have received a little help from
above, we’d love to hear about it. Submit your miracle story—in 100 words or
fewer—and see terms at rd.com/miracles. We might share it with our readers
in Reader’s Digest or on rd.com.

Rd.com 7

IS YOUR
BL A DDER
A LWAYS
TAKING
YOU ON A
TRIP OF
ITS OWN?

In clinical trials, those taking USE OF MYRBETRIQ
Myrbetriq made fewer trips to the
bathroom and had fewer leaks than MYRBETRIQ® (mirabegron extended-release
those not taking Myrbetriq. Your tablets) is a prescription medicine for adults
results may vary. used to treat overactive bladder (OAB) with
symptoms of urgency, frequency and leakage.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

*Based on 24-month TRx shares for all branded Do not take MYRBETRIQ if you are allergic to
OAB medications, IMS Health National mirabegron or any ingredients in MYRBETRIQ.
Prescription Audit, January 2019–December MYRBETRIQ may cause your blood pressure
2020. THIS INFORMATION DOES NOT IMPLY to increase or make your blood pressure worse
SAFETY OR EFFICACY OF ANY PRODUCT; if you have a history of high blood pressure.
NO COMPARISONS SHOULD BE MADE. You and your doctor should check your blood
pressure while you are taking MYRBETRIQ.
Call your doctor if you have increased blood
pressure.
MYRBETRIQ may increase your chances of
not being able to empty your bladder. Tell your

Myrbetriq® is a registered trademark of Astellas Pharma Inc.
All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
©2021 Astellas Pharma US, Inc. All rights reserved. 057-4592-PM 4/21

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION (continued)

doctor right away if you have trouble emptying about all of your medical conditions, including if
your bladder or you have a weak urine stream. you have liver or kidney problems.
MYRBETRIQ may cause an allergic reaction
with swelling of the face, lips, throat or tongue The most common side effects of
with or without difficulty breathing. Stop using MYRBETRIQ include high blood pressure,
MYRBETRIQ and go to the nearest hospital pain or swelling of the nose or throat
emergency room right away. (nasopharyngitis), urinary tract infection, and
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you headache.
take including medications for overactive
bladder or other medicines especially For further information, please talk to your
thioridazine (Mellaril™ and Mellaril-S™), healthcare professional and see Brief
flecainide (Tambocor®), propafenone Summary of Prescribing Information for
(Rythmol®), digoxin (Lanoxin®) or solifenacin Myrbetriq® (mirabegron extended-release
succinate (VESIcare®). MYRBETRIQ may tablets) on the following pages.
affect the way other medicines work, and other
medicines may affect how MYRBETRIQ works. You are encouraged to report negative side
Before taking MYRBETRIQ, tell your doctor effects of prescription drugs to the FDA.
Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch
or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Find us on Facebook

and visit Myrbetriq.com

Important Facts About MYRBETRIQ®
(mirabegron extended-release tablets) Rx Only

Active Ingredient

Myrbetriq (mirabegron extended-release tablets) 25 mg, 50 mg

Purpose

Overactive Bladder (OAB) Symptoms Treatment

Uses

Myrbetriq (meer-BEH-trick) is a prescription medication used to treat adults with
the following symptoms due to a condition called overactive bladder: Urge urinary
incontinence: a strong need to urinate with leaking or wetting accidents Urgency: a strong
need to urinate right away Frequency: urinating often

Warnings

Do not take Myrbetriq if you are allergic to mirabegron or any of the ingredients in
Myrbetriq. See the end of this summary for a complete list of ingredients in Myrbetriq.

Serious Side Effects

increased blood pressure–You and your doctor should check your blood pressure
while you are taking Myrbetriq. Call your doctor if you have increased blood pressure

inability to empty your bladder (urinary retention)–Tell your doctor right away if
you are unable to empty your bladder angioedema–Myrbetriq may cause an allergic
reaction with swelling of the lips, face, tongue, or throat with or without difficulty breathing.
Stop using Myrbetriq and go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away.

Tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including:

liver problems or kidney problems very high uncontrolled blood pressure trouble
emptying your bladder or you have a weak urine stream if you are pregnant or plan to
become pregnant. It is not known if Myrbetriq will harm your unborn baby. Talk to your
doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. if you are breastfeeding or plan to
breastfeed. It is not known if Myrbetriq passes into your breast milk. Talk to your doctor about
the best way to feed your baby if you take Myrbetriq.

Myrbetriq may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may
affect how Myrbetriq works. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take,
including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Tell your doctor if you take: thioridazine (Mellaril™ or Mellaril-S™)

flecainide (Tambocor®) propafenone (Rythmol®) digoxin (Lanoxin®) solifenacin
succinate (VESIcare®)

Most Common Side Effects

high blood pressure pain or swelling of the nose or throat (nasopharyngitis) urinary
tract infection headache
Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away, or if
you have swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat, hives, skin rash, or itching while taking
Myrbetriq.

These are not all the possible side effects of Myrbetriq. For more information, ask your
doctor or pharmacist. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088
or www.fda.gov/medwatch

Directions

Take Myrbetriq exactly as your doctor tells you to take it Take 1 Myrbetriq tablet 1 time
a day Take Myrbetriq with water and swallow the tablet whole Do not chew, break,
or crush the tablet You can take Myrbetriq with or without food If you miss a dose of
Myrbetriq, take it as soon as possible. If it has been more than 12 hours since taking the
last dose of Myrbetriq tablets, skip that dose and take the next dose at the usual time If
you take too much Myrbetriq, call your doctor or go to the nearest hospital emergency
room right away

Keep Myrbetriq and all medicines out of the reach of children.

Inactive Ingredients

Butylated hydroxytoluene, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hypromellose, magnesium stearate,
polyethylene glycol, polyethylene oxide, red ferric oxide (25 mg Myrbetriq tablet only), and
yellow ferric oxide.

For more information about Myrbetriq, talk to your health care provider.

Myrbetriq® and VESIcare® are registered
trademarks of Astellas Pharma Inc.
All other trademarks are the property of
their respective owners.
©2021 Astellas Pharma US, Inc.
057-4598-PM 4/21

Reader’s Digest

“I’ve never
seen anything
like that. Not
in real life,”
a witness
said of Boyers
and Among’s
heroics.

12 dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022

EVERYDAY HEROES

Braving
the Waters

A helicopter pilot responds to a once-in-a-lifetime
flood with a once-in-a-lifetime rescue

By Brad Schmitt

from the Nashville teNNesseaN

J oel Boyers and his fiancée, Boyers, 41, looked west toward
Melody Among, were heading Waverly and saw the storm clouds.
home from the Nashville airport “Ma’am,” he said, “no one will fly in
after she earned her helicopter’s this weather, and for good reason.”
pilot license when he received a frantic
call from a stranger in Pennsylvania. But even before he finished the sen-
The caller told Boyers that her brother tence, Boyers knew they would go back
and his two daughters were trapped up. “I’ve got a daughter myself,” Boyers
on their roof in Waverly, 60 miles from says. “I told the woman I’d see what I
Nashville. They were surrounded by can see.” He put the brother’s address
rising floodwaters caused by last Au- into his phone, then he and Among, 30,
gust’s record-shattering rains and drove back to the airport. Soon, they
didn’t think they would survive. were in the air, unprepared for what
they were about to see in Waverly.
Desperate, the caller had Googled
“Nashville helicopters,” and Boyers’s “As soon as I popped over the ridge,
company, Helistar Aviation, was the it was nothing but tan raging water
first to pop up. She pleaded, Could below me,” he says. “There were two
Boyers please, please rescue her houses on fire. Cars in trees. Tons
loved ones? of debris. Any way debris could get
caught, it was. No one was going to be

Photograph by David McClister Rd.com 13

Reader’s Digest Everyday Heroes

able to swim in that.” Instead, people lifted off. Maneuvering around the
were clinging to anything that didn’t tree and power lines, he dropped off
move—roofs, trees, poles. the teen and the dog on a patch of
land across the street. Then he and
The flooding, which would even- Among were back in the air.
tually claim 20 lives and destroy
more than 270 homes, also took out At one point, they spotted four
cell phone service, meaning Boyers people on the roof of a farm sup-
couldn’t use his phone to pinpoint the ply store. They’d been there for two
house he was looking for. He flew on hours, Jeani Rice-Cranford, who lives
anyway. Maybe he’d get lucky. nearby, told the Associated Press. She
and others watched from dry land as
SUDDENLY, Boyers’s helicopter hovered over the
THERE WAS A GUST victims. Because the pitched roof of-
OF WIND, AND THE fered no room for him to land, he had
HELICOPTER SHIFTED. to attempt a perilous balancing act
by setting only one skid down while
As Boyers steered, Among began praying his rotor didn’t hit the roof.
searching for people stranded atop
roofs, bridges—anywhere Boyers Suddenly, “there was a gust of
could land his chopper and get them wind, and the helicopter shifted,”
onboard. One rescued man pointed to Rice-Cranford says. “We all held our
a teenager he’d seen clinging to a tree. breath.” Boyers regained control of
The teen, soaking wet and exhausted, the copter. Because it could seat only
was barely out of the water. One hand four, he ferried victims one at a time
clutched a tree limb, the other a dog to nearby railroad tracks.
she’d rescued earlier while both were
being swept away in the current. Boyers and Among’s mission ended
90 minutes after it began, when pro-
Since there was no place for Boyers fessional rescue choppers showed
to land, he lowered the copter until it up. It was good timing—Boyers and
hovered just above the water line. The Among were almost out of fuel after
rescued man leaped out and waded to rescuing 17 people. As for the woman
the tree, where he helped the teen and who originally contacted Boyers, she
dog to the helicopter. called back to say that her brother and
his daughters had also been saved.
“She was pretty shaken up,” Boyers
says of the teen. With the man stay- Though the experience was harrow-
ing behind to look for an older woman ing, Boyers did make this confession
he knew was nearby, Boyers carefully to the AP: “I don’t want to lie. It was
almost a little fun.” RD

Nashville TeNNesseaN (augusT 28, 2021),
CopyrighT © 2021 by usa ToDay NeTWorK

14 dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022 | Rd.com

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Reader’s Digest Everyday Heroes

Kindness
on Auto

By Andy Simmons

C hristmas 2020 was shaping up Middleton fine-tuning a donated car Courtesy eliot Middleton
to be a heartbreaker for Mela-
nie Lee. A few weeks earlier, her came to Middleton a year earlier dur-
33-year-old son had lost his battle ing a food drive he’d organized. Many
with a long illness. Then the trans- of those who’d lined up for a meal
mission on her 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe walked up to four miles to get there
conked out. She had no means of pay- because they didn’t have cars.
ing for it to be fixed.
Cars are a lifeline in this part of
“When it broke down, I broke down,” South Carolina, Middleton told CBS.
Lee told CNN. “Now I don’t have my “There’s no public transportation,
baby, now I don’t have transportation. no Ubers, no taxis” to take people to
How am I supposed to stay active in job interviews, doctor appointments,
my grandchildren’s lives?” even food shopping. So he posted on
Facebook an offer to trade slabs of his
Enter Eliot Middleton, 38, the owner restaurant’s specialty, barbecued ribs,
of a barbecue restaurant and former for broken-down vehicles. Since then,
auto mechanic who, in his free time, friends and strangers have dropped off
repairs and gives away used cars. more than 100 cars in various states
He’d heard about Lee’s predicament of disrepair. Many sit in Middleton’s
from her nephew Frank McClary, the yard waiting to be patched up and
mayor of Andrews, South Carolina donated, usually to those he’s heard
(population 3,000). On Christmas about through word of mouth. It’s a
morning, Middleton showed up un- list of names that grows daily.
announced at Lee’s home with a gift:
a white 1993 Oldsmobile. “People think Eliot is an angel,”
Mayor McClary told the Washington
“I had no idea what was going on,” Post. “And I do too.” RD
said Lee. “He handed me the keys and
didn’t ask for anything.” Once again,
she’s able to pick up her granddaugh-
ters from school and take them to
dance class. “I got my freedom back.”

The idea for the used-car giveaway

16 dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022 | Rd.com

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Reader’s Digest

LIFE

in these
United States

My sister sent me a The later it got, the present says “From Dan ReynolDs/CaRtoonstoCk.Com
frantic text: “Help! Any faster she talked. Mom and Dad,” and
suggestions? I’m al- Finally, at three min- you just know that Dad
most ready to resort to utes before midnight, has absolutely no idea
a hammer!” Attached she blurted, “I’ll have what’s inside.
was a photo of a wine to tell you this quickly, — @iwanciw
bottle with a broken because my New Year’s
cork, a piece of which resolution is to stop One of my boys had
was firmly lodged in talking about people.” a habit of never ac-
the neck of the bottle. —Betty Rosian cepting blame for any-
I texted back, “An opti- Johnstown, Pennsylvania thing. I mean anything.
mist would say that Once, when he was
the cork is half out.” Love it on Christmas a toddler, he had an
day when a label on a accident in his pants.
She quickly replied,
“That’s who the ham-
mer’s for!”
—Dale Hartley
Mayo, Florida

On New Year’s Eve,

my husband and I
were seeing the old
year out with another
couple. Jessica was
a good friend but a
bad gossip, and that
night was no different,
except that she kept
glancing at her watch.

18 dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022

Donnichols/Getty (switch), nattapol sritonGcom/eyeem/Getty (hanD) He pointed to his to visit my brother. THE
brother and shouted, Stopping at a pay SWEET
“Mark did it!” phone to call him, BIRD OF
—Betty Stutson I reached into my YOUTH
Sharpsburg, Georgia wallet for a scrap of HAS ARTHRITIS
paper with his number
A classmate was on it. People on Reddit
examining my driver’s recall the moment
license. She seemed When I got to his they realized, Hey,
surprised when she place, he greeted me I’m no longer young!
noticed that it indi- with “So, you lost your ✦✦ When I went through
cated that I was an wallet.” A woman had the house yelling to the
organ donor. So much just called him, saying kids, “When you leave
so that she asked, she had found the a room, turn the light
“Which organ did wallet with his phone OFF!”
you donate?” number inside. She ✦✦ When I dislocated
— @lexadelgay was sitting in a bar my jaw yawning.
and gave him the ✦✦ When sons of football
{On the phone with my address. players I watched grow-
mom} ing up got drafted into
Me: What’s your secret I hurried over and the NFL.
to 55 years of marriage? found my hero. “May ✦✦ As I left a bar and
Mom: We never hated I buy you a drink?” waited outside for my
each other on the I asked. husband to come out,
same day. I thought, We’re the
— @GingerHotDish “Oh, that’s sweet, oldest people here by
dear,” she said, hand- ten years at least. Then,
Before cell phones, ing me my wallet. to my relief, I saw an old
I was in Manhattan “But you don’t have guy in the crowd. Then,
enough money.” to my horror, I realized
—Michael Hauptman the old guy was my
in the New York Times husband.

My wife just came out of nowhere and your funny story
said, “You weren’t even listening, were
you?” Like, bro, that’s a really weird way could be worth $$$.
to start a conversation. For details, go to
p. 2 or rd.com/
— @lewisraindrop11 submit.

Rd.com 19

WE FabrikaCr/Getty imaGes
FOUND
A FIX

5 Tricks to
Improve Your Life*

1

Don’t Fall into the Wrong
Airline Fare Bucket
Travel Did you know that airlines
subdivide tickets in each seating
class into fare buckets? This means a finite number in each
class sell at a lower price and the rest are set at a higher price.
So, when buying multiple tickets, you might see a price hike
for all of them. It means you’ve maxed out the cheaper fare
bucket, so all the tickets in your virtual cart automatically
jumped to the pricier bucket. Avoid this by purchasing tickets
one at a time. This way, if you see the price jump, you’re stuck
paying the higher fare for only some of the seats.

*From RD.com

20 dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022 | Rd.com

Reader’s Digest

Clementa moreno/Getty ImaGes (Coffee GrInder), anastasIIa IvkIna/Getty ImaGes (Cereal) 2 3

Give Yourself Raise Your iPhone’s Volume,
Then the Roof
an Early Holiday
Tech In need of a bit of musical ambiance with nary a
Present speaker in sight? Instead of just putting your iPhone’s
internal speaker volume all the way up, go to Settings >
home Cursing the fool Music > EQ > Late Night. It automatically lowers the
who put away last year’s level of loud sounds and amps up quieter ones, making
decorations (you) and the volume about three times louder than usual—much
swearing this time will better than the old phone-in-a-cup trick.
be different as you slide
hefty totes down the attic 4
ladder? An easy way to
stay organized is to use Two Recipes, One Dough
holiday-colored bins.
Ornaments and mistletoe BaKing Cousin Nancy wants cookies; Aunt Lorraine
go in red and green tubs, wants pie. You want to minimize oven traffic and bake
skeletons and cobwebs time. Here’s a sweet solution: Line your pie pan with
in orange and black, a roll of cookie dough instead of pie crust, and bake
baskets and plastic eggs as the roll instructs. Once the cookie crust cools, fill
in purple and pink, etc. it with your favorite no-bake filling.
This way, you’ll know at a
glance which tub to grab.

5

Clean Your Coffee Grinder with Cheerios
cleaning If you use your coffee grinder to crush
spices as well as coffee beans, you might wind
up taking your java with a dash of pepper-
corn. Or maybe you just don’t like mixing
your arabica with your robusta. If flavors
linger, process a handful of Cheerios
for 30 seconds. It’s a total palate
cleanser—with not even so much
as a honey-nut aftertaste. RD

13 THINGS

Boredom-Busting Facts
About Board Games

By Emily Goodman

1 We have been playing board of Greek pottery. And the Ashanti
games—in some cases, the same people of Ghana are believed to have
board games—for millennia. created a board game called wari,
Chess, checkers, backgammon, and which you may know as mancala.
Go all have origins in the ancient
world. King Tut was buried with 2 It wasn’t until the 19th century
multiple sets of an Egyptian game that board games began to be
called senet. Ajax and Achilles still sold commercially. The first,
appear hunched over a board in the Mansion of Happiness, came out in
midst of play on hundreds of pieces England in 1800. The “mansion” was

22 dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022 illustration by Serge Bloch

Reader’s Digest

heaven, and players Professor Plum was du Monde (Conquest
raced to get there. originally called Dr. of the World). Never
Decades later, Milton Orange in Spain. Mr. heard of it? That’s be-
Bradley reworked— Green goes by Chef cause Parker Brothers
and rebranded—it as Lettuce in Chile. Mrs. bought the game and
The Checkered Game Peacock is Mrs. Purple renamed it Risk.
of Life. It was the only in Brazil and Mrs. Peri-
board game Bradley winkle in France, and 7 Another game
personally worked on. in Switzerland, she’s inventor, Alfred
Captain Blue, a man. Butts, first called
3 Another popular his creation Lexiko,
racing game, 5Board games then Criss Cross Words,
Parcheesi, has occasionally in- before settling on
roots in ancient India, spire screenwriters. Scrabble—a word that
where it was called There’s the 1985 who- means “to hold on to
pachisi, from the Hindi dunit Clue, the 2000 something.” And that’s
word for “twenty-five,” fantasy film Dungeons exactly what Butts did,
the highest possible & Dragons, and the as it took years for the
outcome of a single 2012 action movie game to gain traction.
throw. But whereas Battleship. Even the Today, it’s found in
Americans only 2014 horror flick Ouija three out of every five
tweaked the name, the is technically based on American homes.
Brits decided to call it a game, as the Ouija
Ludo ('lew-doh), Latin board was patented as 8 It was over a
for “I play.” So when a toy. Hasbro still sells game of Scrabble
Englishman Anthony it as a “family game.” that Chris Haney
E. Pratt developed his and Scott Abbott came
murder-mystery board 6 At least one up with the idea for
game in 1943, he called board game is their game, Trivial
it Cluedo, playing on being adapted Pursuit. Its success
Ludo. (Of course, we into a television show, launched a yearslong
just call it Clue.) although its creator was legal battle from an
a famous filmmaker. encyclopedist who
4 In international Albert Lamorisse, who claimed Haney took
versions of Clue, wrote and directed trivia from his books,
the colorful cast the 1956 Oscar-winner something Haney read-
can look quite different The Red Balloon, also ily admitted to doing. In
from what we’re used created a board game the end, a federal court
to in the U.S. version. he called La Conquête decided you can’t steal

Rd.com 23

Reader’s Digest 13 Things

trivia and dismissed the purchased railroads, There’s Operation,
suit. During the 1980s, paid rent, and occa- with its perennial
Trivial Pursuit outsold sionally ended up in patient, Cavity Sam.
even Monopoly, racking jail. Ironically, Magie’s The polio epidemic
up $800 million in sales aim with the game was of the 1940s prompted
in 1984 alone. to show the evils of Eleanor Abbott to cre-
accumulating wealth ate a game for children
9 At the highest by bankrupting others. to play in quarantine.
levels of play, Its name: Candy Land.
it’s not all play 11Monopoly made And following the 2003
money. The national a splash even SARS outbreak, Matt
Scrabble champion in communist Leacock dreamed up
takes home $10,000; countries. Fidel Castro a cooperative board
the world champion banned the game in game—one in which
earns twice that. The Cuba, and while Rich- the players all win
world chess champion, ard Nixon and Nikita or lose together—
Norwegian Magnus Khrushchev had their called Pandemic.
Carlsen, earns about “kitchen debate” at an
$750,000 a year playing American trade show in 13 Thousands
in chess tournaments. Moscow in 1959, all the of new games
Even the Monopoly Monopoly sets that had are released
world champion takes been brought in were each year. How can
home some real cash: stolen. But an even you tell which are best
$20,580, the amount more dramatic bit of to buy? One reliable
that comes in a stan- board game history indicator is the Spiel
dard Monopoly game. occurred during World des Jahres (“Game of
War II. Since POWs in the Year” in German),
10 The man who Germany were allowed considered the most
sold Monopoly board games, American prestigious award for
to Parker troops hid maps, com- board games. Previous
Brothers in the 1930s, passes, and real money winners include Set-
Charles Darrow, often inside Monopoly sets to tlers of Catan, Domin-
receives the credit for help prisoners escape. ion, and Ticket to Ride.
creating the game. But If you prefer to support
it was Elizabeth Magie 12 While there aspiring game makers,
who, decades earlier, are plenty of you’ll find hundreds
earned a patent for her board games of proposed projects
invention, “The Land- about war, illness is an- on crowdfunding sites
lord’s Game.” Players other recurring theme. such as Kickstarter. RD

24 dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022 | Rd.com

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION for ZYPITAMAG (pitavastatin) tablets

Who should NOT take ZYPITAMAG? What is the most important information I should know and
ZYPITAMAG is not right for everyone. Do not take ZYPITAMAG if: talk to my doctor about?
• You have a known allergy to ZYPITAMAG or any of • Call your healthcare provider or get help right away if you

its ingredients. experience any symptoms of an allergic reaction, such as
• You have active liver problems, including some abnormal rash, itching, or hives.
• Muscle problems may be an early sign of rare, serious
liver test results. conditions. Tell your doctor right away if you have any
• You are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant, as it unexplained muscle pain, weakness, or tenderness,
particularly if accompanied by malaise or fever, or if
may harm the baby. these muscle signs or symptoms persist after
• You are currently taking cyclosporine or gemfibrozil. discontinuing ZYPITAMAG.
• Serious liver problems have been reported rarely in patients
What are the most common side effects of ZYPITAMAG? taking statins, including pitavastatin. Your doctor should
The most common side effects of ZYPITAMAG in clinical do liver tests before you start, and if you have symptoms
studies were: of liver problems while you are taking ZYPITAMAG. Tell your
• Back pain • Muscle pain healthcare provider right away if you feel more tired than
• Constipation • Pain in the legs or arms usual, have a loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark-colored
• Diarrhea urine, or yellowing of the skin or eyes.
• Tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and
This is not a complete list of side effects. Talk to your medications you take including nonprescription medicines,
healthcare provider for more information. vitamins, or herbal supplements.
• Increases in blood sugar levels have been reported with
You are encouraged to report negative side effects statins, including pitavastatin.
of all drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch • Tell your doctor about your alcohol use.
or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Other important information I should
How should I store and take ZYPITAMAG? know about ZYPITAMAG.
• Store ZYPITAMAG tablets at room temperature, in a dry • ZYPITAMAG has not been studied to evaluate its effect on

place, and out of the reach of children. reducing heart-related disease or death.
• ZYPITAMAG can be taken at any time of day, with • ZYPITAMAG is available by prescription only.

or without food. Princeton, NJ, 08540 © 2021
• Swallow the tablet whole. Do not split, crush, dissolve, Medicure Pharma Inc. All rights
reserved. Printed in the USA.
or chew. Version September 2021.

For additional information please see the ZYPITAMAG
Brief Summary located on the following page.

PA-ZYP-AJ-01

Important Facts ZYPITAMAG® (pitavastatin) tablets ZI-PITA-MAG

Information for Patients about ZYPITAMAG Who should NOT take ZYPITAMAG?
(pitavastatin tablets): • ZYPITAMAG is not recommended for those with active
Please read the following information completely before
you or a family member begin taking ZYPITAMAG and when liver disease, including certain abnormal liver test results
refilling your prescription in case the information has been and women that are pregnant or nursing.
updated since your last refill. The information presented • People taking cyclosporine or gemfibrozil should also not
here is meant as a brief summary of information that may take ZYPITAMAG.
be discussed with your doctor if ZYPITAMAG is suggested • Anyone allergic to any of the components of ZYPITAMAG
as an option to assist with your cholesterol control. If you should not take ZYPITAMAG.
would like more information, please consult your doctor or
pharmacist about ZYPITAMAG. Be sure to always follow your Can other medications affect your treatment with
doctor’s instructions when taking statins, ZYPITAMAG? Yes, other medications may affect
including ZYPITAMAG. ZYPITAMAG, you should consult with your doctor if you
take any of the following:
What is ZYPITAMAG? • Erythromycin
• ZYPITAMAG (an FDA approved prescription medicine for • Rifampin
• Niacin, gemfibrozil, fibrates or colchicine
adults 18 years and older) when combined with heart-
healthy diet and exercise helps to reduce LDL-C (“Bad What should I talk to my doctor about when taking
Cholesterol”) and triglycerides. It can also raise HDL-C ZYPITAMAG?
(“Good Cholesterol”). • Call your healthcare provider if you experience any
• ZYPITAMAG is in a class of drugs called statins.
• The effect of ZYPITAMAG on reducing heart-related disease symptoms of an allergic reaction, such as a rash,
or death has not been determined. itching, or hives.
• Muscle problems may be an early sign of a rare, serious
What important information should I know about condition. Tell your doctor right away if you have
ZYPITAMAG? unexplained muscle pain, weakness, or tenderness,
• ZYPITAMAG can cause muscle problems in some people particularly if accompanied by malaise or fever, or
if these muscle signs or symptoms persist after
called myopathy and rhabdomyolysis which can occur at discontinuing ZYPITAMAG.
anytime during treatment. Muscle problems can increase • Serious liver problems have been reported rarely in
with high doses, as you get older, with kidney or some patients taking statins, including pitavastatin. Tell your
thyroid problems, and when used with healthcare provider if you feel more tired than usual, have
certain medications. a loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark-colored urine, or
• Liver test results may become abnormal while taking yellowing of the skin or eyes.
ZYPITAMAG. It is recommended that liver testing be • Tell your doctor if you consume alcoholic beverages.
conducted before and during treatment with ZYPITAMAG. • Tell your doctor about all medications you take.
• Increases in blood sugars have been reported with
statins, including pitavastatin. How should I store and take ZYPITAMAG?
• Store ZYPITAMAG at room temperature, in a dry place,
What are the possible side effects of ZYPITAMAG?
Serious side effects may include: protected from light and keep out of the reach of children.
• Muscle problems may be an early sign of a rare problem • ZYPITAMAG is taken as one tablet per day and should be

that could lead to kidney problems. Call your doctor taken at the same time each day. ZYPITAMAG can be taken
right away if you experience unexplained muscle pain, with or without food.
tenderness, or weakness, particularly if accompanied by • Swallow the tablet whole. Do not split, crush, dissolve,
fever or a general feeling of discomfort. or chew.
• Liver problems may occur. Your doctor should do a liver • If you or someone else take too much ZYPITAMAG and are
test before you start and while you are taking ZYPITAMAG. concerned about an overdose, call your doctor and/or local
When on ZYPITAMAG some common side effects include: Poison Control Center.
• Back Pain
• Constipation Need more information?
• Diarrhea The risk information provided here is not comprehensive.
• Muscle pain To learn more, talk about ZYPITAMAG with your
• Pain in the legs or arms doctor or pharmacist.
The FDA approved labelling can be found at
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of all www.zypitamag.com or call 1-833-ZYP4YOU
drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch
or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Princeton, NJ, 08540 © 2021
Medicure Pharma Inc. All rights
ZYPITAMAG is a Medicure product and is available only by prescription. reserved. Printed in the USA.
PA-ZYP-AJ-01 Version September 2021.

vasiliki/Getty imaGes the Reader’s Digest

FOOD I n March 1990, President George
ON YOUR H. W. Bush admitted to a reporter
PLATE that he hated me so much he had
me banned from Air Force One.
I Am Broccoli … The statement prompted the
United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable
Let’s Meet in Association to deliver three cases of
the Middle me, plus a bouquet of my florets, to
the White House a few weeks later.
By Kate Lowenstein The delivery represented about
and Daniel Gritzer 20,000  pounds of me that was do-
nated to local food banks. The boxes
at the White House included “a few
new recipes” in hopes of changing the

president’s mind. They didn’t.
I’ve been “a political vegetable,”

as one reporter put it, ever since,
playing the metaphorical role of
“the thing people don’t want”
in the GOP’s messaging around
affordable health care, among
other issues. President Barack
Obama sealed my fate on the left
side of the American crudité plate
when he called me his favorite

vegetable in 2013. But the real-
ity is that, as much as you like
to complain, you do eat quite
a bit of me. I’m the tenth-most-
consumed vegetable in the U.S.;
in 2020 the average American ate
nearly six pounds of me.
But I am really more of a “we.” I
am the same species as cauliflower,
brussels sprouts, collard greens, cab-
bage, kale, Chinese broccoli, and
kohlrabi. Think of us in dog terms: A
Great Dane and a Chihuahua are the
same species, just bred for different

Rd.com | dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022 27

PARMESAN-ROASTED BROCCOLI qualities. We Brassica oleraceas dan RobeRts/tMb studios
are the same. Our variants have
Preheat oven to 425°. Trim the stalks of been through selective breed-
two 8-ounce broccoli crowns, removing ing, having been chosen to ac-
any tough or dried exterior, then cut
crowns into quarters from top to bot- centuate different features of the
tom. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons extra- plant—in the same way that a
virgin olive oil; sprinkle all over, to taste, bulldog was bred to have extra
with salt, freshly ground black pepper,
and red pepper flakes. Arrange broccoli wrinkly skin and a greyhound
on a parchment-lined rimmed baking to be lean and lithe.
sheet, then roast until crisp-tender,
10-12 minutes. Meanwhile, thinly slice Broccoli was selected spe-
4 medium garlic cloves and toss with cifically for its stem and flower
1 teaspoon olive oil. Sprinkle the broc- buds. All those little green
coli with garlic and roast until garlic is balls that make up the florets
just beginning to turn golden around are tiny buds waiting to open
the edges, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle into flowers. The thick stalk is the
broccoli all over with 2 tablespoons stem of the plant, and in broccoli it’s
freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano nice and fleshy, albeit a little tough on
cheese and roast until cheese is melted the outside.
and broccoli stalks are tender, 2-4 min- Breed the same plant and instead
utes. Toss with 1 teaspoon freshly grated select for a single large bud at the top
lemon zest and serve. of the stalk, and you get cabbage. If
you breed for really nice tender leaves,
you get kale or collards. Breeding for
pronounced lateral buds (those buds
in the cross sections of my stem)
results in brussels sprouts, which
grow like little cabbages up and down
the stalk. Breed solely for the fleshiest,
juiciest stalk, and you get kohlrabi.
Our sulfurous smell (worse with
cabbage and brussels sprouts, though
we all have it) is thanks to chemical
compounds called glucosinolates.
They are thought to be protective
against cancer and inflammatory dis-
eases, but because they contain the
element sulfur, they’re also responsi-
ble for that farty smell that has likely
made me the butt of many political

28 dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022 | Rd.com

The Food on Your Plate Reader’s Digest

jokes. Glucosinolates are part of my smells, reducing the stink output.
plant defense system. They’re not One last piece of advice for handling
bad-smelling or bitter if you leave
me alone, but when you damage my me in the kitchen: Don’t waste my
cells, they break down and release stem! Sometimes the skin on my stem
their funk. is tough, but once trimmed or lightly
peeled, the stem itself is delicious.
The more you increase cell dam- Crisp, refreshing, and mild, it can be
age, the more you get these smells. served raw in a salad—cut my stem
So the more you chop me, the more down to pieces the size of my florets
I’ll smell. Same with cooking me to use all of me. Because, while I may
slowly at a low temp for a long time. be a political vegetable, the left and
The key to avoiding that is fast cook- the right can likely come together over
ing—blanching me by plunging me making the most of what we’ve got. RD
into boiling water, roasting me at
high heat (hotter than 450 degrees), Kate Lowenstein is a health journalist
or charring me over hot coals. That and the editor-in-chief at Vice; Daniel
high heat shuts down the conversion Gritzer is the culinary director of the
of the glucosinolates into the pungent cooking site Serious Eats.

Buy it at B mA .c m

Reader’s Digest

“I’ve seen a lot of survival training courses, but this is a tough one.”

Humor in “My first name is As he applied the Ralph hagen/CaRtoonstoCk.Com
John,” I explained, tourniquet around
UNIFORM “but I prefer to be my arm, he assured
called by my middle me that the procedure
During ROTC, name, Fred.” wouldn’t hurt much
I reported to Fort and then asked what
Bragg in North Caro- He replied, “We’ll my husband did in
lina for the summer keep that in mind … the service.
training program. John.”
Trainees were handed “He’s a recruiter,”
piles of paperwork That summer I said.
and ordered to fill in I learned to do every-
the blanks, beginning thing the Army way. “Hmm,” he said
with our first and last —J. Fred Riley wryly. “This might
names. Before I could Elizabeth City, hurt a little more
start, I needed to clar- North Carolina than I thought.”
ify something with the
sergeant in charge. The technician taking souRCe: gCfl.net
my blood at the mili-
tary medical clinic was Your funny military
very chipper, explain- story could be worth
ing, “I leave the ser- $$$. For details, go to
vice in two months!” rd.com/submit.

30 dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022 | Rd.com

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LIFE WELL LIVED

Warning: This Fruit
May Orbisculate

Their dad died of COVID-19. Now they’re trying to get
the clever word he made up into the dictionary.

By Sadie Dingfelder

From The WashingTon PosT

32 dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022

Reader’s Digest

I n the early aughts, Hilary Krieger painful and annoying like getting
was sitting in her parents’ Boston grapefruit juice in your eye, you can
home when her friend accidentally laugh and have fun with it.”
squirted himself with an orange slice.
Two decades later, Hilary found
“I said, ‘Oh, the orange just orbis- herself telling that funny story again
culated,’” she recalls. “And he said, ‘It and again, in some very sad circum-
did what?’” stances. Her father, Neil Krieger, died
of complications from COVID-19 in
The two made a $5 bet, and Hilary April 2020 at age 78. Since the Krieg-
gleefully grabbed the family diction- ers couldn’t have a proper funeral,
ary. She flipped to the “O” section and Hilary, who now lives in New York,
stared at the spot on the page where spent a lot of time on the phone talk-
“orbisculate” should have been. “My ing with friends and family, and the
first thought was, What’s wrong with “orbisculate” story kept coming up.
this dictionary?” she says.
“I began to think, orbisculate is
Aghast, Hilary burst into her dad’s such a great word; it should be in the
study and told him the shocking dictionary!” says Hilary, an editor at
news: “Orbisculate” is somehow not NBC News.
in the dictionary!
Hilary, 44, called her brother Jona-
“And he looked kind of sheepish, than Krieger, 36, who lives in Boston
and that’s when I found out that he and runs an online trivia company—
made up this word when he was in and together, they hatched an elabo-
college and had just been using it our rate plan to get the word officially
whole lives, as if it were a real word,” recognized. Their goal is to put the
Hilary says. word to use publicly enough that it
has a chance of becoming legitimate.
He’d always defined it as “when you
dig your spoon into a grapefruit and Getting a word into the dictionary
it squirts juice directly into your eye,” isn’t easy, but the Kriegers’ 78-point
she says, though the family also ap- plan, as described on their website
plied it to other fruits and vegetables orbisculate.com, is spot on. Encour-
that unexpectedly spritzed. aging people to use “orbisculate” in
a wide variety of contexts, such as in
Out $5 and wondering what other comic strips, news stories, and the
fake words might be lurking in her name of a Ben & Jerry’s sorbet flavor,
vocabulary, Hilary was mad at the will leave a compelling trail of evi-
time. But she quickly came to see her dence for lexicographers to follow.
dad’s made-up word as a gift, one that
encapsulated his mischievous and in- Merriam-Webster adds about
ventive spirit. 1,000 new words to its master data-
base every year, words that then
“It speaks to his creativity and the
idea that, even when something’s

illustrations by Chloe Zola Rd.com 33

Reader’s Digest

trickle down to the company’s print ‘orbisculate’ has going for it—there
and online dictionaries. The batch of is no single word that captures the
new words released in January 2021 is squirting in the eye that certain fruits
heavy on pandemic-related vocabulary do,” she says.
such as “long-hauler” and “pod.”
If the Kriegers accomplish all of the
Editors at the dictionary’s whisper- goals they outline on their website,
quiet office in Springfield, Massachu- “the word’s status as an established
setts, scour newspapers, academic member of the English language
journals, books, and even cartoon would be pretty irrefutable,” Brewster
captions for new words. says. But to make it all happen, they
need help from friends and strangers.
“What we’re looking for is usage in
publications with a large and broad Even if they don’t succeed in getting
readership,” says senior editor Emily the word added to the dictionary, the
Brewster. Kriegers’ project may still accomplish
something important. Perhaps just
IF THEY ACCOMPLISH trying will help buffer them against
ALL OF THEIR GOALS, some of the feelings of despair and
THE WORD’S STATUS hopelessness that have struck many
WILL BE IRREFUTABLE. families who have lost loved ones to
the coronavirus, says psychologist
Brewster and her colleagues gen- Robert A. Neimeyer, PhD, director
erally track words for years or even of the Portland Institute for Loss and
decades before nominating them for Transition. Among the many reasons
dictionary status. This ensures that that virus-related grief has proved
flash-in-the-pan coinages—think Will especially shattering is that social
Smith’s use of “jiggy,” to mean trendy distancing separated mourners from
(briefly popular in the ’90s)—can’t their friends and family.
sneak in. But if a word really takes off,
it can quickly become official. “This family has come up with a
creative way of memorializing their fa-
“The word that has the record for ther, by building a community around
most quickly entering the dictionary this thing that’s distinctive about him,”
is COVID-19, at 34 days,” Brewster says. Neimeyer says.
“The term before that was AIDS.”
That community, which the Krieg-
In addition to diseases, words that ers named Orbisculation Nation,
describe concrete phenomena that even has a uniform of sorts—a citrus-
affect many people tend to get picked festooned T-shirt, which you can buy
up quickly. “That’s one of the things on their website. (Proceeds go to Car-
son’s Village, a charity that helps fami-
lies in mourning.)

34 dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022

Life Well Lived

Friends of the Kriegers’ often take People the Kriegers don’t know
pictures of themselves wearing their personally, but who were inspired by
T-shirts and send the images via text the campaign, used the word in an
messages to Hilary and Jonathan. online crossword puzzle (Goal No.
“Just to have that reminder, that there 1) and a homemade cartoon (Goal
are people who are thinking about No. 25). And when the “Because Lan-
you and who care about you, helps a guage” podcast announced online
lot,” says Jonathan. voting to determine its word of the
year, the Orbisculation Nation put its
The Orbisculation Nation is also favorite word over the top.
helping the Kriegers check off items
on their list for orbisculation domi- It’s such a good word, it might
nation. One family friend went rogue have won even without the online
and put a homemade orbisculation campaign, says podcast host Daniel
warning sign on a pile of clementines Midgley.
in a grocery store (Goal No. 16).
“Orbisculate felt like a refreshing
splash of citrus in an otherwise grim
year of words,” he says.

It has been more than a year since
Neil’s death, and his children are still
reeling from the loss. But their cam-
paign to get their father’s word into
the dictionary has helped them re-
capture a little of the joy that has been
missing from their lives.

“I could picture him being really
excited,” Jonathan says. “He’d say, ‘It’s
dynamite!’ That’s a thing he always
used to say.” RD

The WashingTon PosT (March 10, 2021), coPyrighT ©
2021 by WashingTon PosT.

A, E, I, O, U, and Sometimes AWWW …

One of my first graders lost his mom two years ago, as did I.
On Wednesday, he gives me a handwritten card saying both of our moms
are angels together. Through tears, I tell him I’m having trouble reading it.

He says to me, “Just sound it out.”

@MichelleDbelle

Rd.com 35

Reader’s Digest

LAUGH LINES

The tenth Fast and Furious The first rule of Don’t Fight
movie should be called Club is let’s talk about it.
Fast 10: Your Seatbelts.
— @iamspacegirl
— @sophiekeen

Don’t call me Cinem-ha! Jurassic Park is
“honey” and
expect it to a movie about
how just
soften the
fact that you because some-
SHRUNK THE KIDS. thing is great
it doesn’t mean
— @BrotiGupta you should
bring it back,

and it has
three sequels.

— @meakoopa

My question is The mayor of Jaws victoriya89/Getty imaGes
did Disney come is still the mayor in

up with the Jaws 2. It is so
movie and then important to vote in
the name, or did your local elections.
someone just
think of the pun — @adamgoodell
“Aristocats” and

design the
entire movie
around it?

— @memantula

36 dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022 | Rd.com

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it is too late, with hackers, the dark web, and a high-risk naval confrontation all
coming into play.

Reader’s Digest

BEST PET PALS Detra and Bozo, ages
10 and 60 in 1978, and
Contest
53 and 103 in 2021

Coming Out of His Shell

Bozo the Desert Tortoise were ages 10, 8, and 2 at the time. Our courtesy eldon grauberger (2)
neighbor estimated that Bozo was
Las Vegas, NeVada around 60.

O ur family has had a relation- In the late 1980s, our neighbor
ship with Bozo, an ancient des- passed away, and her husband gave
ert tortoise, for about 50 years. Bozo to our oldest son, Sheldon. He
We first met him in the early 1970s in and Bozo have always shared a spe-
the backyard of an older woman who cial bond. Sheldon is always patting
lived a few houses down from us in Bozo’s shell and head when they are
our Las Vegas suburb. Our three kids together, which Bozo loves.
visited regularly, and our neighbor
loved to entertain them and teach Bozo happily lived with Sheldon
them about desert tortoises. The kids until 2008, when Sheldon and his
family had to move a bit farther north,

38 dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022

Best Pet Pals

where the climate was too cold for homes for them. Together, Bozo and
Bozo. He’s lived in our backyard ever Mindy had dozens of offspring, all of
since. We feed him kale and lettuce, which have been distributed among
but he primarily grazes on the grass our kids, grandkids, nieces and neph-
in our yard. He digs his burrows to hi- ews, and friends.
bernate in during late fall and winter,
emerging in the spring. My daughter, Detra, and son Ryan
have outfitted their backyards with
My son-in-law dug a big burrow, burrows and have at least seven or
about six feet long and 12 inches wide, eight tortoises each.
for Bozo to mosey through. Bozo has
since made some expansions and Bozo is well over 100 years old
renovations. We now have more than now. Most desert tortoises live only
12 feet of tunnel in our half-acre yard, about 50 to 80 years. We assume he’s
with piles of dirt and rocks covering lived so long because he’s far from
the entrance. Bozo loves his burrows, predators and natural stressors of
but he comes out of hiding when he the wild. Not only is Bozo surviving,
hears our voices. he’s thriving, and he continues to be
a source of joy and amusement for
In 1995, someone asked Sheldon if our entire family.
he’d like another desert tortoise, a fe-
male named Mindy. Desert tortoises And nearly five decades after
shouldn’t be taken out of the wild, their first meeting, Sheldon is still
but they won’t fare well if returned Bozo’s all-time favorite person:
after they’ve been domesticated. She All Sheldon has to do is start talk-
needed a home, so Mindy became ing and Bozo comes crawling! RRDD
Bozo’s mate. —Nominated by eldon grauberger

In the summer, we’d find ping- Have a Pet Pals tale? Enter your
pong ball-sized eggs in the burrows. story and visuals and see terms
After they hatched, we’d gather the at rd.com/petpals. Nominees
little tortoises in a box until we found may appear in print and online.

Things I Don’t Like:

1. Lists
2. Irony
3. Lists
4. Repetition
E. Inconsistency

tadisfox on Reddit.com

Rd.com 39

Reader’s Digest

WHERE, OH WHERE?

An RD Photo Quiz

40 dec 2021 ✦ Jan 2022

T his winter wonderland sits on Lake Winnipesaukee, the
state’s largest at 72 square miles. It was named by Abenaki Chief
Wonaton, whose daughter Mineola fell for a man from an en-
emy tribe whom Wonaton first tried to kill. (And you thought your
family had drama!) The couple canoed across the lake on their wed-
ding day as the sun peeked out—a good omen, hence a name that
means “Smile of the Great Spirit.” Where is it? (Answer on page 119.)

A Johnson Pond, Vermont C Two Harbors, Minnesota
B Fox Lake, Illinois D Alton Bay, New Hampshire

paul jarvis /country

Rd.com 41

Reader’s Digest from left: Bonnie Biess/Getty imaGes. Cindy ord/Getty imaGes. amanda edwards/Getty imaGes

QUOTABLE QUOTES

You don’t have to be rich to live a rich life—and to me,
taking time to prepare and enjoy food at a communal table

with the ones you love is the best way to live richly.

—Rachael Ray, food personality

Stand in the middle ’cause that’s where healing happens.
That’s where conversation happens. That’s where change happens.

—Tyler Perry, filmmaker

A gift—be it a present, a kind word, or job done with
great care and love—explains itself!

—Alice Childress, playwriGht

I love to travel, go to the theater, eat at restaurants, hug friends. But after
this past year, I know for sure it’s OK, really OK, to be quiet sometimes.

—Angela Bassett, aCtor

My friend just named her chicken after me. I do not need
a MacArthur or Pulitzer anymore, do I?

—Susan Orlean, author

ray perry bassett

W

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