How Gray is My Valley: Enlightened Observations About Being Old - Paperback

by Sharon Johnson MS (Author)

Old Love is the title of the initial chapter of this hold-in-your-heart book from first-time author, Sharon Johnson. Her captivating essays help the reader re-visit the best of the aging spirit and the joy of tender reminiscence.

My Mother's . . . Day. If my mother was still alive I would take her out to an after-church brunch today. She would be wearing that sandy-colored, linen jacket she thought camouflaged her rounded, osteoporotic back. When you hugged her, there would be the hint of lavender sachet.

By the time you get to the essay in the book on Sexy Aging, you are smitten with the breezy, personal style of Johnson's prose. She introduces provocative, well-packaged, previously published newspaper columns masquerading as short stories. She speaks intimately about her own 70 years of living and does it with humor and insight; there is a twist at the end of each tale.

A few years ago I was asked to speak to a group of older adult men with an average age of seventy-two. The presentation they wanted was on sexuality and aging. Without hesitation, I agreed. I actually agreed. Am I nuts?

The essay titled Rules of Engagement takes you on a cross-country honeymoon with middle-aged couple, three reluctant pre-adolescents and a spitting-angry cat.

As many premarital challenges as we had surmounted and as many obstacles as we would assuredly face with our newly-constructed family, this business of political differences had the greatest potential to unsettle me.

Cousins Counted is a reminder to gather up all the children of your various aunts and uncles and account for them before it is too late to do that. Shopping with Sydney supports what you already know--the only way out of a retail establishment with a teenaged granddaughter is through the cash register.

This is a book you can have fun with. Gift it to a friend. Read it aloud to your mother or an aging neighbor. Use it to prompt your own stories.

Author Biography

For over a decade Rogue Valley (southern Oregon) retiree Sharon Johnson has written a weekly recently-syndicated newspaper column titled Healthy Aging in which she shares observations and insights, serious and humorous, about life through a 70-year lens. Sharon is an Oregon State University Associate Professor Emeritus with a long career in public health, human services and academia. In recent years, Sharon and her husband launched a not-for-profit organization focused on providing assistance to low-income elders and persons with disabilities. The organization and its volunteers conduct in-the-home fall-risk assessments and initiate simple home modifications (grab bars, railings, shower benches, etc.) to reduce the risk of fall injury. All proceeds from the purchase of this book will to this organization's Grandma's Porch Fund.