“As we age we are more alive than seems likely, convenient or even bearable.”
–Florida Scott-Maxwell, The Measure of My Days : Conscious Aging Book Club Selection May
On the eve of my 70thyear I found more than a guide to hold my hand across the threshold—I found a soul sister—who leapt out to me from a gem of a book encountered at my local bookstore. Over the coming months, Florida Scott-Maxwell’s classic work on aging The Measure of My Days : One Woman’s Vivid, Enduring Celebration of Life and Aging would prove to be not only an inspiration but a vital source of companionship.
Scott-Maxwell, a celebrated Jungian analyst who studied personally with Carl Jung and practiced analytical psychology in Scotland and England, wrote her searingly honest, insightful and often unsettling book about aging when she was 85 years old, fifty years ago. She was born in Florida in the late 19th century, enduring Depression and war after war. Through it all, she lived a full life as an actress, author, wife, mother, gardener and women’s suffragette and her work lives on even today inspiring a new generation of elders navigating our own uniquely challenging times.
She was a courageous truth-teller about herself, the nature of life and the state of the world. Through every one of her insights and moods—from petulant or introspective to ebullient and celebratory—she shows us the way to not only grow old but to grow whole.
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Hello Conscious Aging Book Club Members,
Please jump-start the conversation about what I’ve written and your own interaction with our May selection “The Measure of My Days”: below. The discussion culminates both online and in-person at Parnassus Books in Nashville, on Thursday, June 7 at 10:30 a.m. You will find some initial prompts below.
Meanwhile, we are in the final days of active discussion concerning our April selection “Still Here” by Ram Dass. Please join in the online discussion HERE The discussion culminates both online and in-person at Parnassus Books in Nashville, on Thursday, May 3 at 10:30 a.m.
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To purchase Still Here, and The Measure of My Days, please support the Conscious Aging Book Club independent book store partner, Parnassus Books by clicking HERE.
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TO COMMENT: Please share your thoughts with me about this blog in the comment section below as it is posted at CarolOrsborn.com.
You can also email me directly at Carol@fiercewithage.com.
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Carol Orsborn, Ph.D., is Founder of Fierce with Age, the free monthly Digest of Boomer Wisdom, Inspiration and Spirituality. Carol, who earned her doctorate in the history and critical theory of religion specializing in adult and spiritual development from Vanderbilt University, is the best-selling author of 30 books, including The Spirituality of Age: A Seeker’s Guide to Growing Older (co-author Dr. Robert L. Weber), winner of gold in the category of Consciously Aging, Nautilus Book Awards 2015. Carol’s blog Older, Wiser, Fiercer is available at CarolOrsborn.com.
