Books & Movies on Aging Gracefully - Paths to Transformation

Movies that Reflect on Spiritual Growth in the Process of Aging

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Dr. Toni

Lately I’ve been watching a lot more movies as a way of relaxing – but, somehow, even movies seem to hold special messages for my life. So, I decided to find some that YOU might enjoy as part of your reflection on the process of aging.

I’m Not Rappaport (MCA/Universal, 1996)
— This feisty drama revolves around an 81-year-old Jewish radical who is a modern-day Don Quixote fighting injustice. He and his best friend have to stand up for themselves in a society that seems determined to treat elders as if they were invisible.

Men With Guns (Columbia TriStar, 1998)
— A common task in old age is to secure one’s legacy. A wealthy physician in an unnamed Latin American country who is nearing retirement decides to visit the medical students he trained to serve poor villagers in the countryside. His quest opens and softens his heart.

Nobody’s Fool (Paramount, 1995)
— This movie shows that the last stage of life can be one of personal renewal. A crusty and cantankerous handyman in a small town discovers that it is never too late to stir the ashes and light up your life with the glow that comes from love of family and friends.

The Shell Seekers (Republic Pictures, 1994)
— A 63-year-old Englishwoman suffers a heart attack and is compelled to review her life and her view of happiness.

The Straight Story (Walt Disney Home Video, 1999)
— Alvin Straight is a stubborn and highly principled 73-year-old Iowan who sets out on his John Deere lawnmower to visit his estranged brother who has suffered a heart attack in Wisconsin. His deep yearning for reconciliation gives him the energy and strength he needs to fulfill his mission.

Strangers in Good Company. (Touchstone, 1991)
— A group of long-lived women take shelter in an abandoned farmhouse when their tour bus breaks down. While they wait for other transportation, they share the stories of their lives with each other.

Waking Ned Devine (Fox, 1999)
— In this comedy set in a small village in Ireland, two of the town’s elders creatively expand the possibilities for community life.

Virtues of Aging by Jimmy Carter

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Dr. Toni

“We are not alone in our worry about both the physical aspect of aging and the prejudice that exists toward the elderly, which is similar to racism or sexism. What makes it different is that the prejudice also exists among those of us who are either within this group or rapidly approaching it. When I have mentioned the title of this book to a few people, most of them responded, ‘Virtues? What could possibly be good about growing old?’ The most obvious answer, of course, is to consider the alternative to aging. But there are plenty of other good answers–many based on our personal experiences and observations. ”
–from THE VIRTUES OF AGING

From Publishers Weekly

When President Carter’s 1980 electoral defeat brought involuntary retirement, at age 56, from his position at the White House, he had no set plans for the future. According to this sprightly essay, he and wife Rosalynn, now in their 70s, have continued to lead full, active, productive lives because of their willingness to explore new commitments, their abiding refusal to be mentally dormant. Besides serving at the Carter Center in Atlanta which they established to help negotiate peace agreements, to monitor elections in emerging democracies and to assist the elderly and mentally ill the Carters are both university professors, and they roll up their sleeves to build at least one house per year for needy families. Further, claims the former president, they run three miles a day, take 15-mile cross-country bike rides and their sex life is “more complete and enjoyable” than ever. Carter dispenses sage advice on how older people can fashion an interesting and challenging life, strengthen interpersonal relations, maintain good health and face death with equanimity. While most of this counsel is not especially original and occasionally veers toward the platitudinous, he fleshes out his prescriptions with practical tips and pertinent examples of friends, relatives and associates who have remained productive. There are some remarkably intimate moments, as when Carter shares cathartic free verse that enabled him to face his ambivalent relationship with his father, or when he discusses the compromises that contributed to the success of his 52-year marriage. (Oct.) FYI: A volume in the Library of Contemporary Thought series.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

At age 56, Jimmy Carter “involuntarily retired” when he was defeated for a second term as president by Ronald Reagan in 1980. Despite his achievements in office, Carter and wife Rosalynn faced many of the same challenges confronting other new retirees. The disappointment of Carter’s political defeat was complicated by an uncertain financial future for the couple resulting from mismanagement of the family business during Carter’s political career, their not having jobs, and the need to care for elderly mothers. In this brief book, Carter sketches how he and Rosalynn created new careers and new lives for themselves as authors, educators, and senior family members and as a couple growing old together. He adds statistics about the aging population, makes suggestions for healthy living, and defines successful aging. Carter covered much of this same material in his Everything To Gain: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life (LJ 7/87), coauthored with Rosalynn. Still, at 74, Carter writes as someone who has experienced the “virtues of aging” firsthand, and this work is a thoughtful addition for collections that don’t own the previous book.AKaren McNally Bensing, Benjamin Rose Inst. Lib., Cleveland
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Recommended Books on Spirituality for Midlife and Aging

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Dr. Toni

From time to time I read some great books on this topic and I want to present them to you for your enjoyment as well. Bookmark this page. It will become a very useful resource.

by Dr. Toni

Arrien, Angeles. The Four-Fold Way: Walking the Paths of the Warrior, Teacher, Healer, and Visionary
Boulder, CO: Sounds True, 2005. Offers a collection of teachings, reflections, and stories from around the world to open us to the challenges and deeper mysteries of “the great crossing” at midlife. Mastering these lessons and gifts can help us harvest the meaning and purpose of our life, and come into our spiritual maturity
Highly Recommend this Offer – Get Your Copy NOW

Atchley, Robert C. .Spirituality and Aging Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkin’s University Press, 2009. A spiritual life, one focused on personal growth and deep human experience, is a major focus and motivator for people over the age of forty. This book offers insights into what spirituality is, why it is important, and how it influences the experience of aging

Autry, James. .The Spirit of Retirement : Creating a Life of Meaning and Personal Growth Prima Pub., 200

Buford, Bob. Finishing Well: What People Who “Really Live” Do Differently
. Nashville, TN: Integrity Publishers, 2004. Explores how such ‘trailblazers’ as Peter Drucker, Jim Collins, Roger Staubach and Ken Blanchard have gone beyond success to significance in their 40s and beyond. Discusses how anyone can accomplish work that has eternal purpose and meaning .

Rich, Phil, Madway Sampson, Dorothy, and Fetherling, Dale. The Healing Journey Through Retirement: Your Journal of Transition and Transformation (The Healing Journey Series)
. John Wiley, 2000

Chittister, Joan. The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully
. New York, NY: BlueBridge, 2008. Looks at the many dimensions of aging and considers the joys of this special stage of life and the rewards of being open to new experiences and new relationships

Cohen, Gene. The Mature Mind: The Positive Power of the Aging Brain
/em>. New York, NY: Basic Books, 2005. Contrary to the long-held belief that our brain power inevitably declines as we age, The Mature Mind argues that there are actually positive changes taking place in our minds, which continue to grow and flourish well into the second half of life.

The Center on Aging, Health & Humanities Creative Age: Awakening Human Potential in the Second Half of Life, The. New York, NY: Avon Books, 2000. Offers examples of older people who found new careers, unexpected talents, and success, and disccuses ways to discover one’s own untapped potential for a more satisfying middle and old age www.worldcat.org/oclc/42863229

Corbett, David and Higgins, Richard. Portfolio Life: Portfolio Life: The New Path to Work, Purpose, and Passion After 50 . San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2007. Turns two simple ideas into a program for life-enrichment: (1) you can create a life expressly for yourself and (2) the so-called retirement years are the best time to do it.

Davidson, Sara. Leap!: What Will We Do with the Rest of Our Lives?
. New York, NY: Random House, 2007. Explores the choices and challenges facing Baby Boomers and the options available to them.

Dychtwald, Maddy. Cycles: Cycles: How We Will Live, Work and Buy
. New York, NY: Free Press, 2003. Argues that previous generations have had a ‘mid-life crisis’ but Boomers have put a positive spin on the process and ‘reinvented’ themselves. Discusses how Boomers are defying conventional wisdom about growing ol

Englert, Jonathan. The Collar
. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2006. Chronicles the spiritual odyssey of five men who chose to leave behind their former lives to pursue the Catholic priesthood, offering a candid study of seminary life, the challenges of the priesthood, and the nature of a spiritual calling.

Fox, Matthew. The Reinvention of Work: New Vision of Livelihood for Our Time,. San Francisco, CA: HarperSanFrancisco, 1994. Offers a vision of a work world in which intellect, heart, and health are harmonized, and personal and professional lives are in balance

Gardner, Howard; Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly and Damon, William. Good Work: When Excellence and Ethics Meet
. New York, NY: Basic Books, 2001. Discusses what it means to carry out ‘good work’ — work that is both excellent in quality and socially responsible. Explores this theme in two different professional fields — genetics (in a self-identified golden age) and journalism (in a self-critical, transitional stage). Concludes that the same “five levers for good work” apply. Discusses how to foster and encourage ‘good work’ in all professions.

Jones, Terry. Elder: A Spiritual Alternative to Being Elderly. Elderhood Institute Books, 2006.

Jones, Terry. The Elder Within: The Source of Mature Masculinity. BookPartners, 2001. Elderhood Institute

Koenig, Harold. Purpose And Power In Retirement (HB): New Opportunities for Meaning and Significance
. Philadelphia, PA: Templeton Foundation Press, 2002. Traces the history of retirement and presents research on the effects of retirement on the mind, body and spirit. Invites readers to adopt a vocation or purpose instead of the ‘leisure’ retirement model

Laslett, Peter. A Fresh Map of Life: The Emergence of the Third Age
. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1991. Argues that the Third Age – beyond the bread-winning and child-rearing years – is that of greatest personal fulfiilment, the apogee of life. Combines social history, sociology and philosophy to provoke new thinking on this changing nature of agin

Leider, Richard and Shapiro, David. Something to Live For: Finding Your Way in the Second Half of Life. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2008. Discusses how to live authentically and wholeheartedly in the second half of life and, in doing so, find ways to both enjoy the world and make a meaningful contribution

Leider, Richard and Shapiro, David. Claiming Your Place at the Fire: Living the Second Half of Your Life on Purpose. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2004. Offers guidance in actively undertaking an internal, spiritual search for the purpose of one’s older years, utilizing the wisdom obtained in the first half of life

Levine, Suzanne. Inventing the Rest of Our Lives: Women in Second Adulthood
. New York, NY: Viking, 2005. Offers insights into how to render the second half of life a period of accomplishment, passion, and self-discovery

Manheimer, Ronald J. “Older Learner’s Journey to an Ageless Society: Lifelong Learning on the Brink of a Crisis, The” Journal of Transformative Education. v3 n3 (2005): 198-220 www.worldcat.org/oclc/439121779

Moody, Harry R. and Carroll, David L. The Five Stages of the Soul: Charting the Spiritual Passages That Shape Our Lives. New York, NY: Anchor Books, 1997. Explores the interest in a spiritual life that most people pursue in their middle years, moving (more or less) through five stages of development: the call, the search, the struggle, the breakthrough, the return.

Nash, Laura and Stevenson, Howard. Just Enough: Tools for Creating Success in Your Work and Life
. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2005. Discusses how constant striving means perpetual stress and how success, often defined in financial terms alone, actually involves four components: happiness, achievement, significance and legacy. Explains what these different components mean, how to define them, why “going for the max” is dangerous and how to determine one’s own version of enough.

Nussbaum, Paul. Brain Health and Wellness. Word Association, 2003

Nussbaum, Paul. Your Brain Health Lifestyle, 2nd Edition . Tarentum, PA: Word Association Publishers, 2009. Explains how the brain works and what can be done to help it work more effectively — at any age. www.worldcat.org/oclc/313659630

O’Toole, James. Creating the Good Life :Applying Aristotle’s Wisdom to Find Meaning and Happiness
. Emmaus, PA: Rodale, 2005. Draws on the wisdom of the ages to help individuals plan for the second half of their life so that it is satisfying, useful, moral, and meaningful. Translates Aristotle’s classical philosophical framework into practical, comprehensible terms for application in our contemporary lives and work

Pierce, Gregory F. Spirituality at Work: 10 Ways to Balance Your Life on the Job . Chicago, IL: Loyola Press, 2005. Examines the spirituality of work in the context of such issues as competition, compensation, and social justice. Discusses how to find meaning in the workplace

Pipher, Mary. Another Country: Navigating the Emotional Terrain of Our Elders. Riverhead Books, 1999

Roszak, Theodore. Longevity Revolution: As Boomers Become Elders. Berkeley Hills Books, 2001

Rowe, John W., & Kahn, Robert L.. Successful Aging. Pantheon Books, 1998

Sadler, William A. The Third Age: Six Principles for Personal Growth and Rejuvenation after Forty
. Perseus Books, 2000

Schachter-Shalomi, Zalman and Miller, Ronald. From Age-ing to Sage-ing: A Profound New Vision of Growing Older. New York, NY: Warner Books, 1995. Recontextualizes aging as the anticipated fulfillment of life, not its inevitable decline. Recommends meditation and spiritual healing to help individuals enter their later years Also explores our limited perceptions of death and discusses how to embrace ‘conscious’ dying

Schlossberg, Nancy K. Retire Smart, Retire Happy: Finding Your True Path in Life
. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2003. Provides guidance on the psychological and emotional adjustments retirement requires, with tips on coping with its ups and downs. Discusses how individuals can conduct a personal inventory, reinforce relationships, and investigate new roles and activities in order to make this the most fulfilling time of life

Thomas, William H.. What Are Old People For?: How Elders Will Save the World. VanderWyk & Burnham, 2007

Trafford, Abigail. My Time: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life
. New York, NY: Basic Books, 2004. Examines the vital time in life between middle and old age, integrating personal anecdotes with expert opinion, research, and practical advice to explain how to make the most of the opportunities during this crucial period

Vaillant, George E. Aging Well: Surprising Guideposts to a Happier Life from the Landmark Harvard Study of Adult Development. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company, 2002. Argues that individual lifestyle choices play a greater role than genetics, wealth, race, or other factors in determining how happy people are in later life

Whyte, David..The Three Marriages: Reimagining Work, Self and Relationship. New York, NY: Riverhead Books, 2009. Encourages a reimagination of how we inhabit the worlds of love, work, and self-understanding. Suggests that separating these “marriages” in order to balance them is to destroy the fabric of happiness itself. Only by understanding the journey involved in each and the stages of their maturation can we understand how to bring them together in one fulfilled life

Whyte, David. Crossing the Unknown Sea: Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity
. New York, NY: Riverhead Books, 2002. Assesses the workplace in terms of opportunities for rediscovering, shaping, and nurturing our personal lives. Applies the stages of a holy pilgrimage to the process of seeking one’s identity through work

Zelinski, Ernie. How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free: Retirement Wisdom That You Won’t Get from Your Financial Advisor. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2004. Offers advice on how to enjoy an active and satisfying retirement. Suggests that adequate financial resources are not enough but that having interesting leisure activities, creative pursuits, physical well-being, mental well-being, and solid social supports are also crucial.