How to age exuberantly
It's never too early to begin living the way you want
To live exuberantly, you might want to embrace kärt besvär
I used tactics in The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning to squeeze my family of four’s belongings into one small U-Haul for a cross-country move, so I was intrigued when I got wind that the author wrote a follow-up book on aging.
The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly by Margareta Magnusson, now “somewhere between 80 and 100,” is far from glossy and focuses on keeping an active, positive mindset. Like her focused, minimalist approach to stuff management, the point of Aging Exuberantly is to give practical tips to make each day worth living.
Some of Margareta’s main advice? Let go of what doesn’t matter, surround yourself with younger folks, always have something to look forward to, say yes whenever possible (instead of shunning new ideas), and embrace kärt besvär (“dear or cherished pain”).
“It is never too late to do anything, unless it really is too late and you are dead.
The moment you start thinking it is too late, you begin to die.”
— Margareta Magnusson
Happy GrownAssLadytines!
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Meet Laurie White, our new managing editor
I have always and forever found stories everywhere. I’m a queer + sober writer, editor, teacher, and community builder living in the D.C. suburbs. In addition to editing for The Midst and Jumble & Flow, I’m an original contributing editor and Voice of the Year at BlogHer, and a longtime Communications and Community Director for Mom2.0.
I have an extensive background in education and community services as a community college counselor, English professor, speechwriter, and social media manager. I also have a master's degrees in counseling from the University of Dayton and Journalism from the University of Maryland.
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