Creative Aging
Rethinking Retirement and Non-Retirement in a Changing World
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Jewish Lights Publishing
Published:18th Mar '10
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In Creative Aging, Marjory Zoet Bankson explores how retirement can be a time for reinvention, creativity, and new beginnings, encouraging readers to embrace change.
In Creative Aging, Marjory Zoet Bankson delves into the spiritual dimensions of retirement and aging. This insightful guide offers readers innovative approaches to sharing their unique gifts and experiences, particularly in the face of identity shifts that often accompany retirement. As many individuals grapple with the question of who they are outside of their careers, Bankson provides a roadmap for embracing this transformative phase of life.
The journey of creative aging is framed as a choice, one that begins with endings and leads through a wilderness of testing and trying before arriving at new beginnings. Bankson encourages readers to approach this encore period with hope and curiosity, reminding them that creativity is a fundamental aspect of human nature. Through practical insights and inspiring stories, she illustrates how individuals can reinvent themselves and find fulfillment in their later years.
Key themes in Creative Aging include the importance of releasing old vocational identities, overcoming resistance to change, and reclaiming untapped gifts from the past. Readers will learn about the significance of forming new visions for the future and taking risks to step into the world with renewed hope. The book also highlights the value of establishing new structures for work and relationships, paving the way for a generative and meaningful life beyond traditional career paths.
Drawing on stories of real-life people, this practical, useful book develops the spiritual dimensions of aging in a way that makes what the author calls "the generative years" count. Bankson develops her book around seven themes. She begins with "Release": letting go of vocational identity; and continues with "Resistance": resisting change; "Reclaiming": drawing energy from the past; "Revelation": forming a new vision for the future; "Crossing Point": moving from stagnation to generatively; "Risk": stepping out with new hope; and "Relating": creating or finding new structures for a new kind of work. The book is a valuable tool for those beginning to think of retirement, forced into retirement by the present economy, as the situation forces the reader to look at how s(he) looks at her(himself) as a person or as a worker. Each chapter is followed by a reflection on the spiritual dimension and questions to ponder related to the topic. The epilogue, "Living Wholeheartedly," focuses on the attitude necessary to age creatively, being grateful for the gift of this extra time to receive the grace that surrounds us every day. In simple language the author presents considerations that will give the reader a choice between growing old and creative aging as s(he) reworks her/his identity associated with a career, making peace with what has or has not been accomplished to discovering who s(he) is now and enjoying the freedom. She calls readers to remember that “we are human beings not human doings.” This valuable book is strongly recommended for anyone facing the reality of retirement. Ann Lynch, SSJ -- Ann Lynch * Catholic Library World *
ISBN: 9781683360186
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
160 pages