I am lucky enough to be on Ms. Roberts's street team, but not for this book. I twisted my husband's arm and thankfully, he bought it for me. Old is Not a Four-Letter Word by Sheila Roberts is not like any other of the books she's written that I've read and I've read almost all the books she's written. First, this book is non-fiction and most of Ms. Roberts's books are fiction. Her fiction books are mainly of the romance genre. This book is filled with down-to-earth advice from Ms. Roberts and others on how to live longer and grow old, hopefully gracefully.
The author points out in chapter three, that when living with health issues, it may be difficult to find our purpose. This made me think of one of my favorite quotes: "When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live.â --Stuart Scott. I'm no expert, but I know that Sheila Roberts has made me laugh through all of the books of hers that I've read. That, my friend, is priceless!
Also, in chapter three, the author asks if the reader encouraged a member of the next generation to get an education. I believe can answer this with a resounding yes. My maternal grandmother was a woman before her time. She not only went to normal school, but also went to business collegeâmy first alma mater. She taught in a one-room schoolhouse until the she started her family and the rules of the time then prohibited her from teaching. Unfortunately, she never met any of her grandchildren as she died when my motherâthe oldest of her four childrenâwas at the tender age of fourteen. In later years, my mother took a decade to complete a two-year degree, she did this with four teenage children at home. She graduated with her associate's degree the same year I graduated from high school. I graduated with my associate's, the first in my family to do so right after high school. I worked while my husband got his associate's degree. It would be many years before I returned to college and got my bachelor's degree. Incidentally, I graduated in the same ceremony as my husband, who also got his bachelor's degree and our youngest daughter, who received her master's degree. While I was attending college this most recent time, I worked at the same college and part of my job was supervision of some twenty-five student workersâtwenty-five a year for about ten years, although I had some of them for all four years. Part of my interview process was to explain that my goal for every single one them was for them to graduate. Many of them did so and it's my hope that I was a small part of the reason for some.
In chapter seven, the author discusses possibly being terrified if her spouse passed before she did, and she awoke to find him standing at the foot of the bed, as a fried had and said friend found it comforting. I'm sorry to have a little bit of a chuckle at the author's expense, but, where we live now, is the first house we lived in where, well, a pet that lived with us for some time, passed away. We still see her around the house and talk about her as if she's still here. Did I mention that she died nearly a decade ago? Yes, at first it may have been a little creepy, but now it's almost a joke with my husband and myself.
In chapter eight, the author discusses looks and perhaps how to pamper yourself a bit. I have no problem with looking old and every bit of makeup I ever put on, caused huge me to suffer from allergic reactions, so, I simply stay away from it. I'm obviously not channeling my inner Goldie Hawn in âThe Bangor Sistersâ here, when I say heck, yes, Sean Connery is still a stud!
The end of the book suggests preparing for retirement by planning and saving. I'm sad to say that I'm sure my retirement years are not going to be easy, which will probably emulate my entire life! It's also suggested that the reader should write their story (a memoir or a biography), organizing their final wishes, downsizing and getting rid of most if not all their stuff. The latter is mainly so their kids don't have to. Well, I'm here to tell you I'm not my mother's daughter for nothing. My mother died with four houses in three towns and in two states. And every one of those houses was full of stuff. Currently, I have one abode and yes, it's full of stuff. I've tried getting rid of stuff, but I'm resigned to the fact that I'm just no good at it. So, here's a note to my kids: Beware!
The author points out in chapter three, that when living with health issues, it may be difficult to find our purpose. This made me think of one of my favorite quotes: "When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live.â --Stuart Scott. I'm no expert, but I know that Sheila Roberts has made me laugh through all of the books of hers that I've read. That, my friend, is priceless!
Also, in chapter three, the author asks if the reader encouraged a member of the next generation to get an education. I believe can answer this with a resounding yes. My maternal grandmother was a woman before her time. She not only went to normal school, but also went to business collegeâmy first alma mater. She taught in a one-room schoolhouse until the she started her family and the rules of the time then prohibited her from teaching. Unfortunately, she never met any of her grandchildren as she died when my motherâthe oldest of her four childrenâwas at the tender age of fourteen. In later years, my mother took a decade to complete a two-year degree, she did this with four teenage children at home. She graduated with her associate's degree the same year I graduated from high school. I graduated with my associate's, the first in my family to do so right after high school. I worked while my husband got his associate's degree. It would be many years before I returned to college and got my bachelor's degree. Incidentally, I graduated in the same ceremony as my husband, who also got his bachelor's degree and our youngest daughter, who received her master's degree. While I was attending college this most recent time, I worked at the same college and part of my job was supervision of some twenty-five student workersâtwenty-five a year for about ten years, although I had some of them for all four years. Part of my interview process was to explain that my goal for every single one them was for them to graduate. Many of them did so and it's my hope that I was a small part of the reason for some.
In chapter seven, the author discusses possibly being terrified if her spouse passed before she did, and she awoke to find him standing at the foot of the bed, as a fried had and said friend found it comforting. I'm sorry to have a little bit of a chuckle at the author's expense, but, where we live now, is the first house we lived in where, well, a pet that lived with us for some time, passed away. We still see her around the house and talk about her as if she's still here. Did I mention that she died nearly a decade ago? Yes, at first it may have been a little creepy, but now it's almost a joke with my husband and myself.
In chapter eight, the author discusses looks and perhaps how to pamper yourself a bit. I have no problem with looking old and every bit of makeup I ever put on, caused huge me to suffer from allergic reactions, so, I simply stay away from it. I'm obviously not channeling my inner Goldie Hawn in âThe Bangor Sistersâ here, when I say heck, yes, Sean Connery is still a stud!
The end of the book suggests preparing for retirement by planning and saving. I'm sad to say that I'm sure my retirement years are not going to be easy, which will probably emulate my entire life! It's also suggested that the reader should write their story (a memoir or a biography), organizing their final wishes, downsizing and getting rid of most if not all their stuff. The latter is mainly so their kids don't have to. Well, I'm here to tell you I'm not my mother's daughter for nothing. My mother died with four houses in three towns and in two states. And every one of those houses was full of stuff. Currently, I have one abode and yes, it's full of stuff. I've tried getting rid of stuff, but I'm resigned to the fact that I'm just no good at it. So, here's a note to my kids: Beware!
