Susanna Starr‘s book Fifty and Beyond is an inspiration to all about to reach fifty or those who have already gone beyond that milestone.
The Author, Susanna Starr
Susanna Starr, according to her blog, is an: entrepreneur, photographer, speaker, artist, writer, holds a degree in philosophy from Stony Brook State University of New York. Her latest book is Fifty and Beyond: New Beginnings in Health and Well-Being. Susanna has twenty one years experience in the hospitality business as owner of Rancho Encantado, an eco-resort and spa in Mexico. She has lived in Northern New Mexico for more than thirty five years.
The Book, Fifty and Beyond
This is a book for those over fifty that does not treat them as if they were children who can’t think for themselves. Finally, a book that doesn’t scold, threaten, frighten or bully one into making changes.
What a relief!
Rather, Starr, in radiantly simple language, as if in a relaxed conversation in the living room, begins by examining, with the reader, one’s attitude toward the body and one’s notions of physical fitness.
Together, she looks at exercise, proper diet, and supplements that best suit the reader. Head “toward the next fifty years in as good shape as we can provide,” is advice hard to refute.
Then Starr gets one thinking about new opportunities as some of the reader’s tasks, like child-rearing and building careers, become less demanding. She encourages remembering old dreams and imagine new ones, to revisit the hobbies one never had enough time for, to consider traveling or more community involvement; but, she says, “What’s really there for us now is an opportunity to break old patterns that are no longer fulfilling or satisfying, replacing them instead with those that are positive and enriching and a means to further personal growth.”
As the reader become whole herself, Starr moves the conversation to the next logical step: the connection with the greater whole, the universe. What is more empowering, she wonders, then consciously collaborating and unfolding along with the universe as one move through the seasons of life.
The richness of the conversation lies in Starr’s warm and compassionate voice. There are no recipes here, no pictures of exercises, no workbook sheets. Thank heavens! Instead, her insights and suggestions are grounded in her own experiences as told through her personal stories, conveying to the reader that anything discussed in this book is possible to achieve through sincere intention and effort.
Quotes from Elders
The text is also enhanced by quotes from elders of Starr’s community whom she introduces in photos and brief biographies in the appendix. These remarkable individuals are invited into the conversation in order for the reader to see “what the future could hold for us as well.”
Eighty-two year old Ann St. John Hawley tells, “I also like chaos. You have to have some chaos in order to find a new way. Although it’s painful and you feel lost, out of chaos comes some kind of direction or insights – something new emerges.”
How’s this pithy suggestion from seventy-four year old Dale Amburn, “If things are sitting around taking up space, put them in storage.”
Reflecting on the Meaning, Direction, and Goal of Life Beyond Fifty
This book is a gem! It will make readers of all ages reflect on the meaning, direction, and goal of their lives beyond fifty. It will become a trusted and practical companion as one seeks to have and to hold the wisdom the elder years offer.
Starr’s New Book on “Aging Gracefully”
Starr is writing a new book exploring “aging gracefully.”
Fifty and Beyond: New Beginnings in Health and Well-Being, by Susanna Starr; 148 pages, trade paperback
Price: $14.95 US ($23.95 CAN) ISBN 0-9720084-4-6 Published by: Paloma Blanca Press (Susanna Starr)