A few years ago, I sat with my grandfather as he casually recited a poem from memory. Not a short one—a Robert Frost poem. He was 87. No notes, no hesitation, just pure mental clarity. “The brain’s a muscle too,” he told me, tapping his temple with a grin, “You either use it, or you lose it.”
Last year, I let $142 in FSA funds slip through my fingers. It wasn’t intentional—I just got busy, forgot about the deadline, and told myself I’d “get around to it” later. Spoiler: I didn’t. And I promise, there’s nothing quite like watching your own pre-tax dollars vanish into thin air because you didn’t order a few bandages or book a dentist appointment.
It usually happens on a summer afternoon, right after you’ve found the perfect parking spot. You’re sitting there, engine idling, trying to finish the last few minutes of your favorite podcast before heading inside. Then you notice it — the AC that was crisp and frosty while cruising down the road is suddenly just… meh.
