Creative Aging

Individually and culturally, we are at a crossroads in how we view ageing and retirement. The traditional image of a quiet, laid-back retirement is shifting. Many approaching retirement age are realising they will need to work longer than they had expected. At the same time, many are looking for ways they can offer their gifts and experience in a meaningful way. Marjory Zoet Bankson proposes that, if our older years are to have meaning and purpose, we need to address two key questions: "What is my unique gift?" and "What is my legacy?" In CREATIVE AGING, Bankson explores the spiritual dimension of discovering our unique answers and offers creative ways to nourish our calling, particularly where society does not yet have the organizational structures to support these productive energies. Illustrated by stories of people who have reinvented their lives as they age, the book is organised around Bankson's cycle of call: Resist: Feeling lost in a new terrain Reclaim: Discovering gifts I've put aside or neglected Revelation: Seeing my piece of a larger picture Cross-over: Joining inner and outer worlds Risk: Going public with a new venture Relate: Finding or creating structures for flexible participation Release: Offering service for the common good