MSI Press Blog

  Most modern countries tend to look at aging is a time of slowing down, of loss, of not being able to do what the aging adult has always been able to do or wanted (wants) to do. Creative Aging by Vassiliadis and Romer takes a very different view -- a positive one. An award-winning book, highly recommended by leading reviewers: This timely book...is geared to help those who are at or nearing retirement creatively to plan for their upcoming years. More than a how to, this is a book that opens readers' minds to possibilities ahead. Uplifting...thought-provoking."                                                                       ...

    Excerpt from  Creative Aging  (Vassiliadis & Romer) - INTRODUCTION Do We Have to Grow Old?   “To know how to grow old is the master work of wisdom and one of the most difficult chapters in the great art of living.” —Henri Frederic Amiel, Philosopher   Time marches forward whether we like it or not. From the day we emerge on our birthdate with baby-soft skin, tiny toes and fingers, and a world of possibilities ahead, we begin to age. Even as our lungs fill with precious gulps of air and we cry out to tell the world we’ve arrived, time moves ahead. Aging is inevitable. But--do we have to grow old as we age?   As Baby Boomers, we have an imposing heritage. Many of us, in our 20s or younger, pursued the absorbing occupation of self-discovery. Books such as The Road Less Traveled, along with the mystical music of The Beatles and others, opened the imaginations of Baby Boomers across the country. Could there be something else besides the prescribe...

  From Cheryl Vassiliadis - Creative Aging:A Baby Boomer’s Guide to Successful Living  came about as a collaboration of two friends who discussed what the future would look like as we stepped into the troisième age. Joanna Romer, my co-author, was my Communications professor when I started college as a non-conventional student at 45. We were so like-minded that we hit it off in class and then as we became good friends outside of class.  She introduced me to other women engaged in artful endeavors, and I introduced her to a special dance class I launched in my local community for ladies over the age of 50 called Flowing Rhythm. Later, when I moved to an over 55, active adult community in Georgia, I began that dance class in my clubhouse, and it had one of the most rewarding outcomes of my life. Joanna and I stayed in touch and wrote each other back and forth, and when she authored her first book  Widow: A Survival Guide for the First Year  in 2012, she told me I ...

  excerpt from How to Get Happy and Stay That Way (Romer) - How Can We Tell When True Happiness Is Ours? Knowing when we are happy may seem like a no-brainer, but actually it can be trickier than it sounds. What seems to be true happiness may be deceptive and turn out to be just a passing phase or, worse, the opposite of happiness. For example, have you ever spent hours, even days, planning an event, and it turns out to be something that sounded much better on paper than it actually was? In this case, it may be that whatever happiness was derived from the situation came from the planning process, and not the event itself. Now there’s nothing wrong with achieving satisfaction from producing an event—event planners will vouch for that! However, it’s important to know whether it’s the process or the result itself that makes us happy, so that we’re not disappointed. But how about simple, everyday happiness, not associated with major projects—how can we accurately tell when happiness i...

  Excerpt from  Creative Aging  (Vassiliadis & Romer) - How to Age with Panache   For years I’ve admired the women wearing beautiful scarves, twisted expertly enough to look like they’d just tossed the scarf over their shoulders with a casual knot slipped in front. These women possessed an air of assured confidence that I didn’t feel belonged to me. Whenever I put on a scarf, it felt presumptuous. Who did I think I was? I didn’t belong to this fearless group.   Some of these feelings may have manifested because I didn’t start my work life in an office setting where the appropriate attire was business formal. None of my relatives dressed that way, either. Somehow, whenever I tried wearing a scarf in the mode de jour , it didn’t feel right.   As I’ve aged, though, I’ve grown more comfortable in my own skin. Life marches on, and it’s easier now to let self-doubt and criticism roll off my shoulders and into the if-they-feel-that-way-it’s-their-problem-not-m...