Coming of Age … All Over Again
The Ultimate Midlife Handbook
by Kate Klimo and Buffy Shutt (Springboard Press/Warner, $16.99 paper)
The authors, friends since college, asked themselves similar questions as they neared 50: Will my kids ever leave the nest? When can I stop working? What do I want to be when I grow up? In this functional (but fun) book, the two try to answer their midlife questions, using their own mini triumphs and tragedies as examples.
1. Role models are important even for 50-year-olds. We should seek out those we admire and study their behaviors.
2. Like the body, the mind must be exercised. There is mental aerobic training (reading), mental flexibility training (solving a puzzle) and mental strength training (learning a new skill).
3. As leisure time becomes more abundant, shared hobbies between husband and wife are important. As are individual hobbies.
4. Create a log of expenditures to accurately gauge how much you spend each month. Determine how much you need to retire comfortably.
5. “Self-acceptance is about making peace with who you are. … After all, you’ve lived with yourself for half a century and it’s about time you called a truce with yourself.”
