Local columnist praises local author
Published 04/29/10A column for seniors and those who love them
Elegance is not restricted to a particular age group since there are many young women who exhibit elegance; (however) it is (only) the older woman who can exemplify what it means to age elegantly. - Chloe Jon Paul, author, Entering the Age of Elegance: A Rite of Passage & Practical Guide for the Modern Maturing Woman
Chloe Jon Paul invites column readers to help launch her new book, Entering the Age of Elegance, to Amazon best-seller stardom this week through May 3.
Regular column readers are familiar with the name Chloe Jon Paul. Jon Paul is a Bowie resident of many talents, and is very, very active in causes supporting the well-being and happiness of senior citizens. Her first book, written for caregivers, was What Happens Next? A Family Guide to Nursing Home Visits … and More.
Jon Paul's second book is generating a storm of publicity, great reviews and gratitude from maturing women. "The Age of Elegance," writes Jon Paul at the book's beginning, "denotes that period of a woman's life also known as 'second adulthood.' Every woman who reaches the age of 40 has the opportunity to welcome and embrace the opportunity to move into (The Age of Elegance) with style and grace."
The book had its beginning when Jon Paul, a world traveler who has visited all seven continents, was reading travel guides by Fodor and Frommer, among others. She realized that the guides provide up-to-the-minute information on how to plan an itinerary, what to pack, things to do, restaurant and hotel reviews. They include ratings for attractions and even kid-friendly sites. Pondering that information, Jon Paul put it together with her idea that growing older is really a rite of passage. Experts tell us that when rites of passage are not done properly, people become disoriented and lose their way in life's journey because these rites of passage play such an important part in human development. It was an "aha" moment for Jon Paul as she realized she wanted to help women through the rite of passage of growing older, so that they can land safely and creatively at the "age of elegance."
"What you will find within these pages," writes Jon Paul "is your own personal road map for a journey into what should and can be the most exciting time of your life."
Many women have been willing to speak with Jon Paul with regard to her project, and she noticed that women 40 and older often have no real clue as to who they really are. They have spent their lives being someone's daughter, someone's wife, and someone's mother. Or perhaps they've been a successful career woman, with no real identity outside their profession. Now, as they approach aging, many of them "desperately want to hang on to their youth while others succumb to aging the wrong way."
The book not only addresses the philosophy of aging well, but actually offers a very practical guide for ways to move into the Age of Elegance, using the metaphor of travel preparation - including taking inventory regarding what is essential and what is simply excess baggage. There are many quick, easy-to-read tips throughout the book plus voluminous lists of resources for learning more.
In the book's foreword, Dr. Dorree Lynn, psychologist, author, speaker and founder of the Web site www.FiftyandFurthermore.com, writes that she was "totally unprepared for the in-depth, thoughtful coverage that is both pragmatic as well as personal. I found myself surprisingly absorbed by the journey that I was invited to go on."
"Entering the Age of Elegance," she continues, "offers so many complete luggage sets for the journey any modern maturing woman must take that it's equivalent to entering the best boutique and selecting your perfectly matched set of information for yourself. The beauty of the book's structure is that although it is written as a linear journey from preplanning through reaching your final destination, you can pick it up at any juncture and find a relevant gem."
From tips for dressing elegantly, even in casual outfits, to savvy shopping strategies, from financial advice to tips on handling care giving with elegance, this book actually makes you feel energetic and willing to attack strategies suggested by Jon Paul. I challenge you to read it without coming up with at least one idea for improving your life and your journey. Intriguing chapter titles include "Beyond Support Pantyhose," "Change your Oil Filter," The Will and Grace Scenario" and "A to do list worth doing." The book is amazingly slim to be chock full of so much entertaining and solid gold information.
Visit www.enteringtheageofelegance.com for information, and look for the book at Amazon.com. The best-seller campaign runs April 27 to May 3. Trust me. You won't be sorry.
Thanks for reading. Stay well. See you next week.
---
The writer, a longtime resident of Bowie, is secretary of the Maryland/D.C. chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and a member of the Elder Law Section of the Maryland State Bar Association. You may e-mail her at seniormoments@byrdandbyrd.com.
Copyright © 2010 The Bowie Blade-News and Capital Gazette Communications, Inc.
Blessed is the woman who affirms herself each day,
Blessed is the woman who zeroes in on qualities that will help her become.
Life is full of blessings. Perhaps that is one of the things we, women, seem to forget. We are the super-human beings who take care of others, organize others, run the household, cheer others on, and the list continues. When we reach that star-studded age of forty, we often wonder what happened. How could we have let those years of youth pass us by so quickly? What did we miss in the process? Well, at forty, we enter the age of elegance, the age of dignity, refinement and grace. We may see more gray hairs and wrinkles, and our energy level may be less than it once was; but, at forty, we have reached a time in which we can take care of ourselves first, as well as honor and pamper ourselves. We deserve this much. We have worked hard for the privilege of putting ourselves at the top of our personal to-do lists. What better way to start the next phase of living than to make a list of priorities that suit our needs and prepare for our future so that we can, in fact, age with elegance. It is not a time to moan lost youth. It is not a time to be afraid of the aging process. It is, however, a time to celebrate our successes and to enjoy ourselves, in short, to enjoy life.
Chloe Jon Paul is a retired educator. As a writer who has entered the age of elegance, Paul shares her experiences, her talents and her knowledge of how to grow old elegantly, with dignity, refinement and grace. Entering the Age of Elegance is Paul's very positive step-by-step guide, which includes practical suggestions, resources for further study, and encouragement for all of us women who are thrust into this era without prior preparation. Although many of us may have role models - mothers, aunts, grandmothers, who showed us the way of living elegantly - most of us are often clueless and, quite frankly, frightened at the prospect of growing old, or, worse, growing old all alone. It can be done, though, and we can be a shining example of elegance for the next generation of elegant women.
Entering the Age of Elegance is a valuable resource with useful tips and resources to help the elegant over-forty woman age gracefully. Entering the Age of Elegance is highly recommended by: Emily-Jane Hills Orford, Allbooks Reviews.
A Loving and Practical Guide for the Modern Maturing Woman
Posted March 12, 2009, 12:17 PM EST: Easy to read, full-absolutely full-of research, resources and information, Entering the Age of Elegance is a book for all baby boomer women who want to live this second part of their life to the max. I honestly couldn't put it down. There are plenty of books on aging, but Entering the Age of Elegance stands alone in its completeness. The author doesn't just tell you what to do, she tells you how, and offers resources galore for more exploration of this rite of passage; this age of elegance. It shouldn't be called a self-help book, but a book for SELF. The reader is first encouraged to re-discover who they are right now, at this moment in time. Then identify the qualities they already possess, polish them, or remove those attributes that would prevent them from living a life of elegance. And then finally, affirm the choices they have made. Written like a midlife travel guide, each chapter is clear, concise, and full of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual guidance. The subtitles are as entertaining as the information inside is valuable. There are topics like, Change Your Oil Filter, The Will and Grace Scenario, Beyond Support Pantyhose, and Just Heard It through the Grapevine. While some readers have labeled it a midlife road map, and some have called it a manual for living midlife, I believe that after reading Entering the Age of Elegance, everyone will agree that transitioning into midlife and beyond can now definitely be made with style and grace. Whatever the stage of your journey, you'll definitely want to read this book and probably more than once; and then return to it often for the many resources inside.
Queen JJ: Barnes & Noble reader review
BREAKING THRU YEAR 40 ELEGANTLY! (review appeared on web site:www.inthetrenchesproduction.com)
by Judith Drake
Recently I've been reading a little book that offers us 40+ers tips, inspiration, and some specific instructions on how to enter this next stage of our lives with grace, good health, wisely and creatively - in short, elegantly. “Entering The Age Of Elegance” - A Rite of Passage and Practical Guide for the Modern Woman was written by Chloe Jon Paul, M.Ed., a retired educator and writer, in a travel guide format. It's sort of a road map for our journey into our own 'Age of Elegance', which, with a little effort, can (and should) be the most exciting time of our lives.
She urges us to pooh pooh all those annoying myths we've all heard about old age, learn how to deal with our emotions, and put the F-word into practice…i.e. Forgiveness. These are only a few among many helpful lessons on making our trip into the over-40 realm as enjoyable as possible. There are tips on how to deal with theft, fraud, and scams as well as ones about keeping our bodies and brains fit and fun. And the travel guide format was a good idea in itself.
One of the Travel Advisories? How to manage change and loss - something many of us know the necessity of all too well as we hit these later years. Also included is a sampling of the many organizations out there that may be of interest…Boomer Babes Rock! and Gatherthewomen.org among them.
In short, its a fun, informative little book for those of us on the verge of our 'Age of Elegance'….and as Ms. Jon Paul says at the end of the book…”Have a fabulous trip!”
Visit: Entering the Age of Elegance
Judith Elegance-is-my-middle-name Drake
Judith Well-Over-60-&-Lovin'-It Drake has been in the 'Show Biz' for 45 years, crossing paths with the likes of Mary Martin, Betty Grable, Cher & Calista Flockhart along the way, been a wife to Mr. Whipple and screamed for T-Mobile. Her priority now is as a producer with In The Trenches Productions, the first entertainment network for women over 40 on the web.
A Different Kind of Travel Guide, May 15, 2009 amazon.com
| By | Corrie Woods |
Great read.
Corrie Woods, author of The Woman's Field Guide to Exceptional Living: Practical Steps for Living a Big, Bold, Beautiful Life!
Reviewed By: Georgia Richardson : NABBW
There are plenty of books on aging, but Entering the Age of Elegance stands alone in its completeness. The author doesn't just tell you what to do, she tells you how, and offers resources galore for more exploration of this rite of passage; this age of elegance. It shouldn't be called a self-help book, but a book for SELF.
The reader is first encouraged to re-discover who they are right now, at this moment in time. Then identify the qualities they already possess, polish them, or remove those attributes that would prevent them from living a life of elegance. And then finally, affirm the choices they have made.
Written like a midlife travel guide, each chapter is clear, concise, and full of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual guidance. The subtitles are as entertaining as the information inside is valuable. There are topics like, Change Your Oil Filter, The Will and Grace Scenario, Beyond Support Pantyhose, and Just Heard It through the Grapevine.
While some readers have labeled it a midlife road map, and some have called it a manual for living midlife, I believe that after reading Entering the Age of Elegance, everyone will agree that transitioning into midlife and beyond can now definitely be made with style and grace. Whatever the stage of your journey, you'll definitely want to read this book and probably more than once; and then return to it often for the many resources inside.
