Gaining Wisdom as We Grow Older

ALBANY, N.Y. - March 3, 2015 - PRLog -- “Some people our age think that their worlds are shrinking. Our worlds are expanding, always. If you don't like your situation, change it. Don't fear it. Change it."

—Nat Grew,77, extreme endurance athlete

“So what to all the nonsense! ...I'm happy. I've put my life in order. I'm doing all the stuff I love to do.” —Mary Hurley, 71, retired educator

         As long-time attorney Brendan Hare faced the prospect of retirement a few years ago, he was confronted by anxiety about finding meaning and fulfillment in his later years, and deeper questions he had never previously considered. He struggled to find a way to ease this anxiety and find purpose in this new phase of life.

         "I read stacks of books on retirement and aging," recalls Hare, author of the new book, From Working to Wisdom: The Adventures and Dreams of Older Americans. "Many seemed to look at just one aspect of growing older, such as finances or health. Others were written by professional academics, and felt impersonal, as if they existed only to advance abstract theories, and lacked solace or practical wisdom. Still others presented a simplistic view of aging, watered-down and one-size-fits-all, with how-to-retire-well platitudes. They were also unhelpful.

         "Then I thought about Studs Terkel's book, Working, which helped Boomers in the '70s as they prepared to enter the work force. I thought a similar type of book might help us as we prepared to leave the work force. I began traveling around the county and assembling a collection of short oral histories from a diverse group of older Americans, some retired and some still working. I asked them about their lives and their hopes, and how they felt about getting older. The experience changed my life. It changed my view of retirement, of growing older, of my past and future, of how I spend each day. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life."

         From Working to Wisdom features the voices of forty-six older Americans, drawn from all corners of life, including a big-city mayor, an adventurer, a missionary, and a Marine Corps general, as well as athletes, philanthropists, factory workers, nurses, and teachers. They speak to the reader directly, relating a fascinating array of memories, adventures, regrets, dreams, and hopes.

         Included in the book are:

·         A rich range of stories about the experience of aging

·         Through ethnic, geographic and economic diversity, a unique look at a full range of human experiences

·         Life lessons imparted through personal reflection and storytelling

·         The central idea that we are all in charge of our own lives and can choose our attitude on how we live them

·         Inspiration, even as we grow older, to live as much and as well as we possibly can

         "My book strives for wisdom, but it does so by focusing on the stuff of life, imparting universal life lessons through individual stories," says Hare. "It's a book about growing older, but it’s also a book about how, with time, we can grow more purposeful, more joyful, more satisfied, happier, and more prepared to take from each day all life has to offer."

Brendan Hare is a recent retiree who previously worked as a teacher, a college economics instructor, and for over forty years, as an attorney. He served as chief litigation counsel for a Fortune 50 company, and later as the founder and managing partner of his own law firm. For over twenty years, he built and guided a sizable national practice, with clients drawn from some of the largest corporations in America.

For more information, visit fromworkingtowisdom.com and connect on Twitter (https://twitter.com/fromworkingtow1) and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=55398654&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile_pic).

From Working to Wisdom: The Adventures and Dreams of Older Americans is available at Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/From-Working-Wisdom-Adventures-Americans/dp/0996003401).

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