Reviews
Aging with Wisdom: Reflections, Stories and Teachings by Olivia Ames Hoblitzelle, Larry Rosenberg
halkid2's review against another edition
5.0
I do NOT believe the following is an over-generalization: at some point in ALL our lives we begin to contemplate the process of aging and the mystery surrounding death. When that time comes, you couldn't ask for a better companion than Olivia Ames Hoblitzelle's book, AGING WITH WISDOM. Probably why it's won multiple awards.
This book is a gentle, short, eminently readable, and inspiring collection of reflections, gathered stories, and wise teachings. Trained as a health professional at Harvard Medical School, and a noted pioneer in the field of mind-body medicine, Hoblitzelle's life work has been integrating meditation, yoga, and cognitive therapy into Western medical practices. She was also caregiver to both her mother and husband, after each was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. THAT both explains her interest in this topic and gives her great credibility in my book.
As Hoblitzelle bemoans, ours is not a society that generally honors the process of aging and considers it socially awkward to discuss death. But this book takes on both head-on. She reclaims and reframes the wisdom of older people and validates their hard-won knowledge and comprehension. They are, she believes, living the most courageous part of their lives.
She also shares her own collection of stories and interactions with wise elders for us all to contemplate. She presents inspiring anecdotes about the dying that offer hope and comfort. And she includes the wisdom offered by six "wayshowers" who have helped her gain a better understanding of and comfort with the final years of life.
If you are a senior now, this book will expand your outlook in a positive way. If not, when your own time comes, remember this book.
This book is a gentle, short, eminently readable, and inspiring collection of reflections, gathered stories, and wise teachings. Trained as a health professional at Harvard Medical School, and a noted pioneer in the field of mind-body medicine, Hoblitzelle's life work has been integrating meditation, yoga, and cognitive therapy into Western medical practices. She was also caregiver to both her mother and husband, after each was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. THAT both explains her interest in this topic and gives her great credibility in my book.
As Hoblitzelle bemoans, ours is not a society that generally honors the process of aging and considers it socially awkward to discuss death. But this book takes on both head-on. She reclaims and reframes the wisdom of older people and validates their hard-won knowledge and comprehension. They are, she believes, living the most courageous part of their lives.
She also shares her own collection of stories and interactions with wise elders for us all to contemplate. She presents inspiring anecdotes about the dying that offer hope and comfort. And she includes the wisdom offered by six "wayshowers" who have helped her gain a better understanding of and comfort with the final years of life.
If you are a senior now, this book will expand your outlook in a positive way. If not, when your own time comes, remember this book.
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