Stupid Things I Won't Do When I Get Old

- Blurb -

For fans of David Sedaris and Nora Ephron, a humorous, irreverent, and poignant look at the gifts, stereotypes, and inevitable challenges of aging, based on award-winning journalist Steven Petrow' s wildly popular New York Times essay, "Things I' ll Do Differently When I Get Old. "Soon after his 50th birthday, Petrow began assembling a list of "things I won' t do when I get old"-mostly a catalog of all the things he thought his then 70-something year old parents were doing wrong. That list, which included "You won' t have to shout at me that I' m deaf," and "I won' t blame the family dog for my incontinence," became the basis of this rousing collection of do' s and don' ts, wills and won' ts that is equal parts hilarious, honest, and practical. The fact is, we don' t want to age the way previous generations did. "Old people" hoard. They bore relatives-and strangers alike-with tales of their aches and pains. They insist on driving long after they' ve become a danger to others (and themselves). They eat dinner at 4pm. They swear they don' t need a cane or walker (and guess what happens next). They never, ever apologize. But there is another way. . . In Stupid Things I Won' t Do When I Get Old, Petrow candidly addresses the fears, frustrations, and stereotypes that accompany aging. He offers a blueprint for the new old age, and an understanding that aging and illness are not the same. As he writes, "I meant the list to serve as a pointed reminder-to me-to make different choices when I eventually cross the threshold to ' old. ' "Getting older is a privilege. This essential guide reveals how to do it with grace, wisdom, humor, and hope. And without hoarding.