Creative Aging: Rethinking Retirement and Non-Retirement in a Changing World (Large Print 16pt)

Discover Your Unique Gift
''Creative aging is a choice.... If we remember that transition always begins with endings, moves on to a wilderness period of testing and trying, and only then do we reach the beginning of something new, then we can embrace this encore period of life with hope and curiosity, remembering always that it is our true nature to be creative, to be always birthing new ways of sharing our planet together.''
- from the Epilogue
In a practical and useful way, Marjory Zoet Bankson explores the spiritual dimensions of retirement and aging. She offers creative ways for you to share your gifts and experience, particularly when retirement leaves you questioning who you are when you are no longer defined by your career.
Drawing on stories of people who have reinvented their lives in their older years, Bankson explores the issues you need to address as you move into this generative period of life:
Release: Letting go of the vocational identity associated with your career or primary work
Resistance: Feeling stuck, stagnant, resisting change
Reclaiming: Drawing energy from the past, discovering unused gifts
Revelation: Forming a new vision of the future
Crossing Point: Moving from stagnation to generativity
Risk: Stepping out into the world with new hope
Relating: Finding or creating new structures for a new kind of work.

Later Life Abundant

"In Creative Aging: Rethinking Retirement and Non-Retirement in a Changing World ," Marjory Zoet Bankson examines the spiritual dimensions of vocation in later life and how to discern and claim new, generative ways to use gifts and experiences. Skylight Paths--Julie Polter"Sojourners Faith, Politics, Culture" (06/01/2010)

Workshop leader and president of Faith@Work, Bankson explores the inner work of making one's later years creative and meaningful. She has interviewed hundreds of people and discovered that there are seven phases of transition in aging: Release, Resistance, Reclaiming, Revelation, Crossing Point, Risk and Relating. She explores these in depth and points out that the key concerns of the retirement-aged person are self-identity and the need to give back and be useful. She takes the realities of failing health and finances into account but provides the wider perspective on finding new meaning. Real-life stories and probing questions help readers gain insights into the last decades of life.--Deborah Bigelow"Library Journal" (05/15/2010)

Later Life Abundant

In" Creative Aging: Rethinking Retirement and Non-Retirement in a Changing World," Marjory Zoet Bankson examines the spiritual dimensions of vocation in later life and how to discern and claim new, generative ways to use gifts and experiences. Skylight Paths--Julie Polter"Sojourners Faith, Politics, Culture" (06/01/2010)

If somebody asked me if I wanted to reinvent myself, I think I'd reply tongue-in-cheek that there are parts of me that could use a tune-up, but overall, no. But after reading Marjory Zoet Bankson's new book, Creative Aging: Rethinking Retirement and Non-Retirement in a Changing World (SkyLight Paths Publishing, $16.99), I m reconsidering my answer. Creative Aging was written for those of us who are thinking about what it means to grow older and retire ... and what comes next. The book is about life transitions experiencing endings before we can make new beginnings, and then experiencing a period of trying things out before we take on our newly reinvented lives.

This kind of planning and thinking can be crucial, especially for those of us who have felt ourselves defi ned by career. If we re no longer an (accountant/factory worker/teacher), then what are we? What will we do with the rest of our years? Will they be meaningful?

Creative Aging walks us through the steps of getting there: letting go of vocational identity, feeling stuck and resistant to change, drawing energy from the past, forming a new vision for the future, moving toward it, taking risks and finding a new purpose. Full of stories of those who have already walked this path, Creative Aging doesn t so much take us by the hand as it opens doors to thinking about what is right for each of us. The stories are eye-openers as they tell what we can expect and how to spot opportunities for making changes. As the book says, "At this stage of life, we don t have to wait for someone else to approve." If you re sensing even the slightest questions about What s next? take a look at Creative Aging.--Matilda Charles"SENIOR NEWS LINE" (04/01/2010)"

"Precious and insightful will teach you how to age consciously as well as respect your limitations and joyfully reclaim your purpose and call. A treasure. Don't grow old without it." Rev. Holly W. Whitcomb, author, Seven Spiritual Gifts of Waiting

"Aimed at but by no means limited to the boomer generation, hits the right note aging is not just about giving back, but about giving forward offering ourselves for some larger purpose rather than simply protecting what we have." Fr. Tom Ryan, author, Soul Fire: Accessing Your Creativity

"A great gift to everyone in the field of aging. With gentle, deep encouragement ... [it] walks readers through what has been lost, mourned, reclaimed, and points toward finding the creative call in the later years . Strongly recommended for everyone in the third stage as well as professional and interested laypersons." Phoebe Girard, hospice worker; cofounder, Conscious Aging Network of New Mexico; former editorial board member, ASA Forum on Religion, Spirituality and Aging

A must-read for anyone who wants more out of their later years than the traditional retirement experience . A unique contribution to the field of literature on aging and retirement. Molly Srode, author, Creating a Spiriting Retirement and Keeping Spiritual Balance as We Grow Older

Doesn't so much take us by the hand as it opens doors to thinking about what is right for each of us. Matilda Charles, Senior News Line

A deep and stirring reminder that the later years of our lives can be creative, rich and even more fulfilling than those that went before. Deborah Sokolove, artist and director, Henry Luce III Center for the Arts and Religion; associate professor of art and worship, Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, D.C.

[A] refreshing blend of deep wisdom, relational authenticity and practical tools a book that will make a difference. My list of the people I want to give this book to is growing. Doug Wysockey-Johnson, executive director, Lumunos (formerly Faith At Work)

A road map of wisdom for the crossroads of life. [W]eaves insight and story [to] illuminate the phases of transition that we all will face in the future . Encourages us to move the conversation about such change from our head to our hearts. Terri Lynn Simpson, contemplative programs consultant, Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage, Washington National Cathedral

Assures, encourages, challenges readers to embrace the questions, fears and most significantly the gifts of aging. The shared stories of elders comfort the reader who is walking the labyrinth of aging and seeks a spiritual path of dignity, grace, faith and love. Jean M. Richardson, executive director, Kirkridge Retreat Center

Powerful and compelling deserves to be read and practiced by anyone, regardless of their age, who wants to reconnect with their spirit and live a life worth having. John J. Scherer, author, Five Questions That Change Everything; founder, The Scherer Leadership Center"

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./p>--Ann Lynch "Catholic Library World ""

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./p>--Ann Lynch "Catholic Library World "