Who Do You Want to Be When You Grow Old? : The Path of Purposeful Aging

Our later years need not be a time of loss. This book helps readers embrace the positive possibilities of aging and provides guidance on doing so purposefully, with courage, compassion, and curiosity. None of us know for sure what will happen as we age. What Richard J. Leider and David A. Shapiro do know, however, is that a purposeful mindset is a fundamental component of a life well-lived. Who Do You Want to Be When You Grow Old? invites readers into the experience of two lifelong friends taking on the courageous conversation of aging well with honesty and purpose. In the first half of the book, readers are introduced to a framework for looking back over their lives and examining how they've arrived at the place they have. In the second half, readers are invited to look forward to purposeful aging with courage, compassion, and curiosity. In their bestseller Repacking Your Bags, Leider and Shapiro defined the good life as "living in the place you belong, with people you love, doing the right work, on purpose." This book argues that aging well can be similarly defined as "aging in the place you belong, with people you love, doing the right 'work,' on purpose." “[A] valuable guide... The authors'gentle tone and many helpful suggestions will make readers feel as if they are listening to a close friend.” —Publishers Weekly This is a book about how to grow old—with the emphasis on “grow.” The path of purposeful aging is accessible to all—and it's fundamental to health, happiness, and longevity. In their bestseller Repacking Your Bags, Richard J. Leider and David A. Shapiro defined the good life as living in the place you belong, with people you love, doing the right work, on purpose. This book builds on that definition to offer a purposeful path for living well while aging well. With a focus on developing and deepening a sense of purpose in later life, Who Do You Want to Be When You Grow Old? celebrates the experience of aging with inspiring stories, real-world practices, and provocative questions. Framed by a long conversation between two old friends, the book reconceives aging as a liberating experience that enables us to become more authentically the person we always meant to be with each passing year. “In a culture that offers little guidance for growing old, but excels at pushing elders aside, here's a book that will help us age into the fullness of life.” —Parker J. Palmer, author of On the Brink of Everything Grow old on purpose. This book invites readers to navigate a purposeful path from adulthood to elderhood with choice, curiosity, and courage. Everyone is getting old; not everyone is growing old. But the path of purposeful aging is accessible to all—and it’s fundamental to health, happiness, and longevity. With a focus on growing whole through developing a sense of purpose in later life, Who Do You Want to Be When You Grow Old? celebrates the experience of aging with inspiring stories, real-world practices, and provocative questions. Framed by a long conversation between two old friends, the book reconceives aging as a liberating experience that enables us to become more authentically the person we always meant to be with each passing year. In their bestseller Repacking Your Bags , Richard J. Leider and David A. Shapiro defined the good life as “living in the place you belong, with people you love, doing the right work, on purpose.” This book builds on that definition to offer a purposeful path for living well while aging well. Cover Half Title Title Copyright Dedication Contents Preface: Choosing the Path INTRODUCTION: The Long Conversation ONE: Old? Who, Me? TWO: If We All End Up Dying, What’s the Purpose of Living? THREE: Aren’t I Somebody? FOUR: Am I Living the Good Life My Whole Life? FIVE: How Do I Stop Living a Default Life? SIX: Am I Having a Late-Life Crisis? SEVEN: Will I Earn a Passing Grade in Life? EIGHT: How Can I Grow Whole as I Grow Old? NINE: How Will My Music Play On? AFTERWORD: Staying on the Path Acknowledgments Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y About the Authors