A DELIGHTFUL LITTLE BOOK ON AGING

A series of quick reflections explores the realities of getting older.

“I did more than a few things right and more than a few things wrong,” Raffelock writes in her slim nonfiction debut. “Now I get to stand in the light of my truth and share my lessons with the world around me.” This well-designed book presents these lessons as a series of thoughts and vignettes from the author’s life, moments that stand out and memories that have come to signify key aspects of aging for her. The tone Raffelock takes throughout the work is resolutely optimistic and affirmative despite being cleareyed about the fact that one of the defining characteristics of age is loss: “Friendships end. Children move away. The role of work or career that once defined us is relegated to memory.” The resulting grief can manifest itself as melancholy, angst, or “unexplainable tears.” In quick, upbeat chapters, the author urges her peers to remain engaged and moving. She offers several tips for ways to do this: Mentor the young, make things like art or music, find new friends, investigate the latest technology, and—in a note sounded frequently in the book—remember to exercise regularly. She transforms many of her experiences into quippy slogans like “Life is too short to hate your thighs,” “Your weight is not a gauge of your worth, and neither is your bank balance,” and the essential theme of the whole volume: “Don’t freak out about getting old.” And all of these nuggets of wisdom are leavened with gentle humor (“Sagging has set into places that I didn’t know could sag”) and an all-embracing compassion. Aging invites us to grow into a deeper beauty, she writes, “it’s no longer the smile on our face as much as it is the expression in our heart.” Raffelock’s book will be a much-needed boost to readers of all ages.

A helpful, uplifting work for readers handling the challenges of growing older.