Embracing Elderhood: The Three Stages of Healthy, Happy, and Meaningful Senior Years

Aging and slowly becoming a senior citizen is not something most people think about until it happens. It becomes more of a reality when they retire and discover that the working world moves right along without their daily contributions. People prepare for careers, become corporate insiders or career public servants, or spend their adult years caring for children and others, but how does one prepare for becoming an elder? For those who are entering their mid to late 60s and early 70s, ninetysomething life coach Englander (Cheating Death: How To Add Years of Joy and Meaning to Life) says there are three stages of gracefully and successfully navigating, embracing, and enjoying one’s “golden years.” He says to ask three key questions: “Why am I here?”; “Why am I still here?”; and “Why was I here?” These questions examine one’s life as a youth and young adult, then as a person who is middle-aged, and finally, an elder. Englander is generous and vulnerable as he answers the three questions by sharing his own experiences and reflections.