Reported by Eric and Tod Shapiro for the Flatiron Hot! News

In a genre glutted with superficial solutions and elaborate forms of denial, author Patricia Greenberg’s latest paean to clean living “It’s OK to be Old: Thoughtful Acceptance of Your Age” offers a frank, yet optimistic look at aging and how to do so by confronting, not avoiding, its realities. 

Patricia’’s advice is drawn from lived experience and well-researched solutions, not magical thinking or the next trendy pill you might be persuaded to swallow or fad diet to indulge in,  or nip and tuck you may feel you need.  It doesn’t promise the fountain of youth or the holy grail but rather practical solutions that just might be more satisfying for being real. It is clear that she respects her audience enough not to BS them and sees aging as not just something to be avoided, but a part of life no more intrinsically good or bad than any other. 

She hints at the possibilities for living a satisfying life in one’s years without sentimentalizing or catastrophizing. This dedication to honesty – not too gentle, not too brutal – is palpable from beginning to end. 

As someone a few decades younger than the target audience (although no stranger to the aches in pains associated with geriatric millennialhood), I was surprised by how much I learned from this book in a quick read of some of the more relevant chapters for one such as myself or my older family members.  The book isn’t, fundamentally, just one about aging for seniors; but rather one about life and how to adjust to what it brings with equanimity, acceptance and determination so as to make the most of the time we have. It’s as much about attitude as it about concrete steps – its lessons are directed at seniors but apply to human beings of all ages.

Here are Patricia’s guidelines on how to live well into your Golden and silver years, which give the flavor of her tome:

1. Stop caring what people think of you, and embrace each day as it comes on your own terms.

2. Tackle each day by taking on the hard things first, it will make your evenings easier and your sleep peaceful.

3. Instead of aggressively chasing your dreams, take a step back and carefully think through each step you are taking. Slowing down is not a negative, it’s prudent.

4. Approach your nutrition with positivity. Eat what you love, just make sure its the healthiest version you can find. Good food, wine and chocolate makes life wonderful.

5. As we age, fitness is more about staving off decline than competing. Stay upright in all you do. Walk, run, yoga, bike, weight train, all of it is good, so you choose.

6. Socialize on a regular basis. Interactions with others will keep your brain engaged and your emotions intact.

7. Relationships should bring you joy and a sense of well being. Seek out those who make you feel good about yourself.

8. Enjoy nature and embrace the beauty of the world around you.

9. Hold yourself accountable with goals, it gives you hope for the future, and always something to look forward to.

10. Give back to the world around you. Having purpose by helping others, is still the most rewarding gift you can give yourself.

Well worth a read by Flatiron Hot! News followers … See this link at Amazon!