‘I Feel Great About My Hands: And Other Unexpected Joys of Aging’ edited by Shari Graydon

With wisdom and humour, forty-one remarkable, mature Canadian women over 50 revel in the joys of aging.

This was an impulse buy on my Kindle – the title intrigued me! Even though most of the time I prefer to pretend that my knees are not creaking and my hormones haven’t packed up and left town, I am not ashamed to admit that I do find myself in the over 50 age group. Most people (especially women) like to let other people believe they are younger than they are. Perhaps it would be smarter to mislead in the opposite direction. If you suggest older, you might get “you look GREAT for 65!”

This collection of feisty honest reflections is thoughtful, amusing, and encouraging, stressing the positives of aging. It’s all that stuff about feeling more comfortable in your own skin and embracing the inevitable changes instead of fighting them.  There is a lot of truth in it. I would never want to be back in earlier decades.  There are seasons in our lives, and each one is enjoyable in a different sort of way. In the present season, I must say that I am quite happy to display my wrinkles. Each one tells a story. And since I’ve never coloured my hair, I am not about to “cover my wisdom” (a quote from the book) now. Although I must admit to Google Imaging a few of the contributors to this anthology, to see if I look younger than them! 🙂 Sigh…will we never learn to just be happy as we are?…let the real women Dove ads rule!

Here are some of the catchy essay titles to entice you: “How Drooping Breasts Led Me to a Truck-driving Life of Adventure”, “Levity in the Face of Gravity”, “My Grandmother’s Skin”, “The Pleasures of an Older Man”, “Dinner Tastes Better than Ever”, and “My Colonoscopy”.