A Great Book To Start Off 2023!
Some of you may know that my wife is a child psychologist. The following is a reprinted article from her quarterly newsletter, which I thought was timely as we start off 2023. We hope you all have had a wonderful 2022, and we look forward to making even more music with you in 2023!
~ Samuel Faraci, M.M., Director
As a psychologist who values continuing education and staying up to date on the latest research on effective strategies, I'm often reading books, articles, journals, blogs, etc.
I tend not to prioritize just reading for the sake of reading. One of my personal struggles is prioritizing "down time" that is not productive in getting every item on my daily todo list (and maybe some of tomorrow's?) completed.
However, a few years ago, while reading to grow myself as a therapist, I came across a book recommendation that intrigued me. It's called 30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans by. Dr. Karl Pillemer, a renowned gerontologist.
In this book, Dr. Pillemer summarizes advice from over 1,000 older persons who have lived full lives. He calls them "the experts" because they're further down life's path, have experienced most of the ups and downs possible, and arguably have more wisdom than most of us.
After sorting through the interview responses, Dr. Pillemer noticed 6 major themes emerge in the advice given by "the experts" - (1) having a happy marriage; (2) having a successful and fulfilling career; (3) lessons on parenting; (4) how to age well and without fear; (5) living a life without regrets; and(6) how to live life as an expert. Within each of those themes are 5 pieces of practical advice, giving a total of 30 life lessons.
The theme that piqued my interest (and motivated me to prioritize pleasure reading!) was living life without regrets. One of the most difficult emotions for me is regret, so learning how to not have regrets in my later years was quite intriguing.
I recommend this book to almost anyone who will listen simply because it was incredibly life changing for my husband and me. Our bigger picture worldview has changed, our priorities have changed, and our daily actions have changed. We often use the phrase, "What would "the elders" say?" And, that one question, is often enough to refocus us on what really matters in this one life that we're so very fortunate to have.
