i've always had mixed feelings about aging. one side of me bristles with the anticipation of untold possibilities. the other side of me trembles with the anxiety of untold possibilities. whether it's finally securing that job you've been chasing or being told something has gone wrong with some needed part of your body, the days in front of us are rife with mystery.

the stories and ruminations found in this book have allowed me to come to better terms with what's ahead. largely due to its emphasis of the importance of the now, and how the now is, obviously, so connected to the future - your future. of course you have to set worrying about possible illnesses and catastrophes to the side (it's not healthy to carry around such hefty luggage you may not need). but there are surely things, many things, that can be done to mitigate some of the bad stuff potentially ahead.

partly through this book and partly through my own discovery, i have found myself becoming more excited about aging (where previously i greatly feared what it had in store). now i'm ravenous for the boons of wisdom that comes from better understanding your mind, your body, your family, your society, your purpose. the only requirement for collecting this reward is a fair bit of reflection and introspection - which so sadly seems to be hypersonically becoming a lost art in our frenetic culture.

in short, we are all going to age. there are things that can be done to improve our chances of making the best of things. it reminds me of the words of Gale Snoats, john goodman's character in raising arizona, when he said, "This'll go hard or easy, H I." it turned out to be true for H.I. McDunnough and it will turn out to be true for us as well.