Melinda Blau is 81, but many of her dear friends are much older. These women populate her new book, The Wisdom Whisperers, and provide younger women (at 80, I must be a spring chicken!) with a playbook to draw from and relate to our own lives.
When Melinda wrote her sixteenth book, she wanted to title it, "I want what she has!" She was deeply moved and impressed by the older women, most of whom were in their 90s and 100s.
I asked Melinda what characteristics the wisdom whisperers had in common:
* Interest in others - a very robust social life
* A Purpose - a reason to wake up every day and live it to the fullest
* Gratitude for their good fortune that they have had long, fruitful lives and for the people in their lives, past and present
* Humor - Laughing with others
& Yes, independence. The women were the CEOs of their own lives
Melinda calls these women "old ladies." She got some flak from family and friends. But she was undeterred. "Old," she says, "is just an adjective. It describes me and others in the age group. These old ladies give me hope about aging, and that's such a good thing to have."
The beginning of your life is about making memories. The end of life is about remembering.
Zelda from The Wisdom Whisperers.
OR your local library.
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