Book Review: The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly

This book jumped out at me in a quick dash into the library. While I don't consider myself old enough to worry about aging exuberantly, it's a brief audio book, so I couldn't go wrong. Margareta Magnusson took the world by storm when, in her 80s, she published her first book, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning. It teaches people to get rid of their junk before their death so their relatives will not have to handle that onerous task. My sons might gift that book to me for Christmas - ha!

In The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly, Magnusson offers hints to suck the joy out of life, no matter what your age. She provides sensible and accessible tips. For example, here's two excellent rules of thumb to pass on to your offspring. Whenever you are considering doing something with a twinge of hesitation, ask yourself, "What if everyone did this?" That sounds like excellent advice. Plus, she mentions a friend's insistence, "Don't leave empty-handed." The initial meaning is to clean up dishes and such when you leave a room. However, this is equally important in life.

I intend to implement a few other suggestions. Though I seldom volunteer, I recognize the wisdom in this advice. Perhaps I'll find a retirement center and read to residents. That would be my cup of tea. Fulfilling in so many ways. I will also try to follow her suggestion to eat more chocolate. Ha! Now there's a tough one. I'm not sure how I could find more young people to associate with, but that sounds rejuvenating, as well. This book was a simple, enjoyable meandering in ideas for enriching your life at any age.