This past Wednesday, we returned to the classroom for our first book presentations of the quarter. This quarter, we read Happiness Is a Choice You Make: Lessons from a Year Among the Oldest Old by New York Times author John Leland. I was part of the group that presented last week, and we read the first section of the book “Meet the Elders”. Leland speaks with 6 elders within the “oldest old” age group (85+) to learn about their experiences with aging and explore their perspectives on happiness having lived their full lives. Aging today is most commonly associated with negative experiences like physical and cognitive decline, and defined by what we can’t do anymore. There was a quote in the book that stuck with me: “Old age is a concept largely defined by people who have never lived it”. I think this stems from the fact that people don’t want to confront that death is inevitable, and will find reasons to dissociate and distance themselves from that. Leland’s conversations with the elders of the oldest old reveals that these conceptions about old age aren’t true at all, and that at no matter what age, life goes on. Aging is inevitable, but it is not something that keeps us from living. Most of the elders Leland spoke with reported being content with their present life, despite the frailties of their age. They were just grateful to live another day, and cherish those around them. One of the important lessons that I’ve drawn from this reading is that it’s not a matter of youthful energy which brings a full and happy life, but a conscious decision to make the best of the days that you still have.
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Sabrina LawWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2019
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