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You're Not Too Old, and It's Not Too Late: Weekly Practices of Meaning, Mindfulness, and New Possibilities at Midlife and Beyond
by Ilene Berns-Zare, PsyD
MSI Press
As suggested by this literary companion's extended subtitle, Berns-Zare's book offers readers fifty-two "weekly practices" for finding "meaning, mindfulness, and new possibilities—at midlife and beyond." Written for those navigating the ups and downs, joys and challenges, of midlife through older adulthood, each relatively short—and quite accessible—chapter serves as a trusty, supportive guidebook, providing research-backed tools and imaginative exercises on focused areas, ripe for encouraging personal reflection and healthy growth. The author recommends reading the material at a leisurely pace, one chapter each week, so that the process yields a cumulative effect. Each section's end provides a suggested exercise in reflective action rooted within the ideas presented. As such, the year-long undertaking becomes a partnership between author and reader, with a grand invitation to "reimagine possibilities" for one's second half of life in an authentic, personalized manner.
Areas explored include resilience, health, flourishing through positive psychology, practical mindfulness advice, change and growth, writing one's own "life-story," nourishing strength, engagement with young people, self-care, and savoring life's simple moments. Further, concepts of gratitude, life purpose, relationships, creativity, active listening, self-empowerment, the wisdom of simplicity, and compassion for self and others permeate the pages of this rather remarkable, life-affirming guide to making the most of one's later years. The reader is offered a generous plethora of insights and ideas—anecdotal and personal (gleaned from Berns-Zare's own life experiences) and backed by the latest research in relevant fields—all with the stated purpose of "reimaging aging." The author's approach, regarding both the information provided as well as the structuring of the material itself, conveys authoritative guidance from a welcoming, compassionate, knowledgeable expert, who—through encouraging, comfortable, almost poetic exploration of such interrelated psychological, emotional, and physical matters—succeeds masterfully, sharing insight after insight into the nature of later-life vitality and wellbeing.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review