It’s a short, easy read, getting a short, easy-to-read review.
The author is Margareta Magnusson, she’s between 80 and 100 years old, and she says she’ll likely die before you. You probably know her as the author of the very popular book The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning.
While the Swedish Death Cleaning book focused on a very specific aspect of getting older, this book is a more general book about approaches to aging. It includes chapters on some of my favorite things: chocolate, open minds, multigenerational connections, and keeping moving.
Here is the author on aging well: “..the secrets of aging well and happily are in finding ways to make your routines dear to you. I may not have a choice in how long they will take me to do or whether I will even be alive a few weeks from now, but I do have a choice to decide how to approach my daily life.” p. 126
While the book is aimed at those of us getting older– since I’m turning 60 this summer I think I’m in that group– but most of it is valuable life advice for all ages. The author doesn’t believe in an afterlife and so as approaches death in very practical terms.
It’s worth noting she’s led a privileged life, raising five children around the world and I sometimes found myself wondering how this book would read to someone who is working in old age for reasons of financial necessity and who can’t make the same choices as Magnusson.
For me, the bit that hit home was the call for minimalism and preparing our homes so that we die, others can easily sort through our belongings. Living lightly appeals even though I’m terrible at it. I’ve loved my sabbatical years where I’ve traveled with a laptop, a bike, cycling gear, and a couple of suitcases and didn’t miss a thing.
Here’s Magnusson: “If we have done our death cleaning, we will know that our kids and our loved ones have a few nice things from us and can spend nice evenings in the park instead of spending them sorting through my cupboards and closets.”
It’s a light and easy book to read. I recommend it for the beach or an airplane flight. Enjoy!
