A Delightful Little Book On Aging

All around us, older women flourish in industry, entertainment, and politics. Do they know something that we don’t, or are we all just trying to figure it out? For so many of us, our hearts and minds still feel that we are twenty-something young women who can take on the world. But in our bodies, the flexibility and strength that were once taken for granted are far from how we remember them. Every day we have to rise above the creaky joints and achy knees to earn the opportunity of moving through the world with a modicum of grace. Yet we do rise, because it’s a privilege to grow old, and every single day is a gift. Peter Pan’s mantra was “never grow up”; our collective mantra should be “never stop growing.” This collection of user-friendly stories, essays, and philosophies invites readers to celebrate whatever age they are with a sense of joy and purpose and with a spirit of gratitude.

Ever since Eve was banned from the garden, women have endured the oftentimes painful and inaccurate definitions foisted upon them by the patriarchy. Maiden, mother, and crone, representing the three stages assigned to a woman’s life cycle, have been the limiting categories of both ancient and modern (neo-pagan) mythology. And one label in particular rankles: crone. The word conjures a wizened hag—useless for the most part, marginalized by appearance and ability. None of us has ever truly fit the old-crone image, and for today’s midlife women, a new archetype is being birthed: the creatrix. In Creatrix Rising, Stephanie Raffelock lays out—through personal stories and essays—the highlights of the past fifty years, in which women have gone from a quiet strength to a resounding voice. She invites us along on her own transformational journey by providing probing questions for reflection so that we can flesh out and bring to life this new archetype within ourselves. If what the Dalai Lama has predicted—that women will save the world—proves true, then the creatrix will for certain be out front, leading the pack.

Meet Beige. Beige is reliable, practical, sensible, and safe. Beige doesn’t put up a fuss; it follows the rules, blends in, doesn’t want to stand out. Now meet Magenta. Magenta is rich, dynamic, loud, sometimes garish, and not easily overlooked. Society has decidedly beige expectations when it comes to aging, and the intrinsic danger of beige and its many practical aspects is that it precludes creative thinking. Creative thinking is critical in avoiding a beige aging journey. Be Brave. Lose the Beige! Finding Your Sass after Sixty encourages women to trot out their inner magenta and defy those beige expectations. Be Brave. Lose the Beige! started as a blog and morphed into a movement. This movement gently pokes fun at ageist rules and expectations. It says “yes” when the rest of the world keeps saying “no.” In these pages, Liz Kitchens chronicles how creative thinking helped her cope with empty nest syndrome, navigate sex over sixty, transition from being outtasight to literally being out-of-sight . . . and so much more. The stories and creative techniques outlined in this book are guaranteed to introduce color, sass, and a lightness of spirit into your later years. Are you ready to start coloring outside the lines, even if a few pesky rules get trampled in the process?

Art keeps good alive in the worst of times. In the face of ugliness, pain, and death, it’s art that has the power to open us all to a healing imagining of new possibility; it’s art that whispers to the collective that even in the ashes of loss, life always grows again. That’s why right now, in this tumultuous time of war and pandemic, we need poets more than we need politicians. In response to the multitude of global crises we’re currently experiencing, editor Stefanie Raffelock put out a much-needed call to her writing community for art to uplift and inform the world, and the authors of She Writes Press answered. Art in the Time of Unbearable Crisis—a sometimes comforting, sometimes devastating, but universally relatable collection of prose, poetry, and art about living through difficult times like these—is the result. Addressing topics including grief and loss, COVID-19 and war in Ukraine, the gravity of need and being needed, the broad range of human response to crisis in all its forms, and more, these pieces explore how we can find beauty, hope, and deeper interpretation of world events through art—even when the world seems like it’s been turned inside out and upside-down. Proceeds: Our Commitment The collection of essays, poetry, and art in this book are meant to feed and nourish our hearts and minds. It’s what women do—we feed people. To that end, the proceeds from this work will be donated to the nonprofit World Central Kitchen, an organization conceived by chef José Andrés as a way to feed people affected by natural disasters and war. World Central Kitchen financially supports food banks and restaurants that provide free food throughout the world.

Great for fans of: Suzanne Roberts’s Almost Somewhere, Juliana Buhring’s This Road I Ride. Marianne Bohr and her husband, about to turn sixty, are restless for adventure. They decide on an extended, desolate trek across the French island of Corsica—the GR20, Europe’s toughest long-distance footpath—to challenge what it means to grow old. Part travelogue, part buddy story, part memoir, The Twenty is a journey across a rugged island of stunning beauty little known outside Europe. From a chubby, non-athletic child, Bohr grew into a fit, athletic person with an “I’ll show them” attitude. But hiking The Twenty forces her to transform a lifetime of hard-won achievements into acceptance of her body and its limitations. The difficult journey across a remote island provides the crucible for exploring what it means to be an aging woman in a youth-focused culture, a physically fit person whose limitations are getting the best of her, and the partner of a husband who is growing old with her. More than a hiking tale, The Twenty is a moving story infused with humor about hiking, aging, accepting life’s finite journey, and the intimacy of a long-term marriage—set against the breathtaking beauty of Corsica’s rugged countryside.

"Growing Old is unlike anything you've read before about old age. It's not a chirpy guidebook to successful aging (often written by people in their forties and fifties—who haven't gotten there yet!) but something far deeper and revelatory. By turns hilarious, poignant, fascinating, and disturbing, every page is brutally honest. If you ever plan to grow old or know anyone else who's already there, you'll find insights here you'll see nowhere else." — Sy Montgomery, New York Times bestselling author of The Soul of an Octopus “Written by one of our most distinguished observers of human and animal behavior who has now decided to observe herself, this book is a witty, wise, frank, and ultimately comforting look--from the inside out--at the universal experience of growing old.” — Dale Peterson, author of Jane Goodall: The Woman Who Redefined Man and The Ghosts of Gombe “This is a true gift. Elizabeth has trekked the Arctic Circle and lived with the Bushmen—not your typical human. Yet, she shares how time catches up with us all. Her unexpectedly delightful book made me realize the good decisions my grandparents made, and think about how I should should approach my own future. A unique look at a universal process that we need not fear—and might come to relish.” — Dr. Mark W. Moffett, anthropologist-explorer and author of The Human Swarm: How Our Societies Arise, Thrive, and Fall "Octogenarian Thomas tackles old age in this clever and astute memoir…Thomas is an inspiring example of a life well lived, and her sense of humor, honesty, and curiosity will resonate.” — Publisher’s Weekly, STARRED review "With wit and humor, Thomas thoughtfully conveys the realities of aging. This fully absorbing memoir will especially resonate with readers over 65 and those who work with geriatric populations, yet all readers should find much wisdom to be gained from this warm offering." — Library Journal "Thomas turns her curiosity about all things natural toward a subject that many choose to ignore, willfully or not....With each age-related topic, Thomas writes candidly and with occasional dark humor, sharing both the good and the bad...." — Kirkus Reviews

This text offers a readable and friendly presentation of the important methods, findings, and theories of human aging, while actively involving the reader in meaningful exercises and critical thinking. Students are repeatedly challenged to apply information in the text to the older adults in their own lives. Specifically, suggestions for enhancing the lives of their older relatives are offered and encouraged. These include guidelines for discussions they might have regarding social, emotional, and environmental changes as well encouraging intellectual and social interaction. In this Edition: Emphasis on the science of the study of aging and why questions in aging are difficult to answer, how social scientists attempt to handle such difficulties, and the successes and failures social scientists have had thus far in answering those questions. The text also demonstrates how current research findings are now being applied in the real world and/or how they might be applied in the future. Cross-cultural comparisons and ethnic group comparisons are included wherever possible. Each chapter begins with "Senior View," which introduces students to a real person and gives them a chance to hear what older adults think and say about important issues related to the chapter and a chance to compare those opinions to the research findings. Each chapter ends with "Making Choices," emphasizing the important behavioral, emotional, and social choices that students can make now to prolong a healthy, happy life. "Chapter Projects" offer the opportunity for active learning, as students investigate for themselves an issue related to the chapter. Instructors can expand these projects for students who want to learn more, or for independent study. "Focus on Aging" boxes compliment the material in the text, providing additional insight and examples, and encouraging critical thinking. Every chapter includes discussion questions, study questions, chapter exercises, and related online resources.

Discover how you can live your passion and purpose after retirement and change the world as an empowered elder. Your career has wound down, the kids have moved, and your schedule is clear . . . for the next thirty years. In your youth, you cared about people and planet earth, and you had grand visions of changing the world. At some point, those passions and that sense of purpose got buried under diapers and the 9-5. Still, that old you remains alive. Now, with the rest of your life ahead, you can be the change and make this next stage of your life the most powerful yet. But where to start? Helen Wilkes, a retired professor and activist, takes readers on an inspiring journey to find renewed purpose in retirement. Along the way she helps readers navigate the transition to a post-work identity by fanning the embers of lost passions and developing new interests. Whether you are drawn to gardening clubs, to social justice issues, political campaigning, ethical investing, or creativity through the arts, The Aging of Aquarius offers inspiration, practical steps, and extra resources to help reignite your passion, your sense of purpose, and to effect real change in the world as an empowered elder. Praise for The Aging of Aquarius “If you want to make your retirement or “elderhood” the best part of your life, read this book. Interspersing her own amazing story, octogenarian Helen Wilkes points the way to purpose, passion, and pleasure in later years. Wilkes has woven psychology, philosophy, and poetry into a page-turner you will not want to put down. I read it in one sitting.” —Dr.Roslyn Kunin, C.M., O.B.C., Roslyn Kunin and Associates, Inc. "In this inspiring work Helen Wilkes wastes no time raging against the dying of the light, showing instead that the light of mind and soul can shine ever more brightly even as our bodies grow old. The Aging of Aquarius is both an intimate personal account and a call to enlivenment and action for an entire generation.” —Gabor Maté M.D., author, When The Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress “Whether you are contemplating retirement or well-established in the business of living your senior years, this literary adventure will nudge you to laugh at yourself, challenge yourself, and discover both encouragement and inspiration.” —Sally Thorne, RN, PhD, FAAN, FCAHS, Professor, School of Nursing and Associate Dean, Faculty of Applied Science, University of British Columbia