The Swedish Art of Ageing Well: Life wisdom from someone who will (probably) die before you

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This is something I appreciate,” Magnusson says of spending time with those who are much younger than her. “It’s just wonderful. [Young people] look at things in different ways. They are open-minded, really. You have to listen to them. Even if you don’t think just like they do, it’s good to know what they think and what they appreciate.” Delivery with Standard Australia Post usually happens within 2-10 business days from time of dispatch. Please be aware that the delivery time frame may vary according to the area of delivery and due to various reasons, the delivery may take longer than the original estimated timeframe. My daily newspaper arrives every morning, then perhaps I reread books I’d forgotten I had on my bookshelves. Perhaps I imagine future hobbies I will take up. I use the phone a lot (my children can tell you . . .). I wash my clothes and my sheets and towels regularly. I keep my little apartment as tidy as possible; I am very happy my apartment is not bigger. Now unburdened by (emotional and actual!) baggage and able to focus on what makes each day worth living, Margareta Magnusson shares her discoveries about becoming older – some difficult to accept, many rather wondrous. She offers useful tips as well as stories of growing up in Sweden and raising her family around the world. And because death-cleaning never really ends until you yourself do, here she includes more suggestions about perfecting the process, as well as answers to a few of the most often asked questions. During the summers when Lola and I were growing up, many who lived in the city moved out to cottages in the countryside, where they led easier lives and inhaled fresh air into their lungs. The cottages were often off by themselves, near enough to go to the little village to buy your food and basic provisions but not very close to other people. Being so far away from the crowded city was delightful, even though you of course occasionally longed for your friends.

Is my advice particularly Swedish? Some of it. Are there secrets of Swedish aging? Perhaps, and perhaps I have managed to unearth a few here. What I do know is that as a nationality we are certainly not as long-lived as the famous Okinawans of Japan, but Sweden is not doing too badly. Our current life expectancy averages 81.9 years, making us the thirteenth most long-lived country on the planet. If you are expecting that the Swedish secrets I will tell you will involve jumping into the frozen North Sea to stay young or taking long saunas, like some of my fellow older Swedes do, or eating ground-up reindeer horn in your morning muesli, I will disappoint you. I can’t recommend these things, particularly if your constitution is not as strong as it used to be. Besides, I am sure I would not survive a frozen swim in the North Sea and would need to be very careful not to slip and fall in the sauna. A slim yet sage volume. . . . While Marie Kondo gave us strict instructions to only keep things that spark joy, Magnusson’s book is straightforward and unsentimental (with a bit of humor)." — The Washington Post Smart… death cleaning isn't about getting rid of all your stuff, but rather streamlining your life so you're only holding onto what makes you happy . . . it's about so much more than dusting and sorting.” — Elle Décor It made me think that perhaps this book is part of her own death cleaning; to pass these stories that mean something to her down to her children and grandchildren. For a casual reader who enjoyed the first book, it’s all boring personal details, a bit of humour, and no real substance. I was going to give it one star or stop reading, but I kept going for the promise of some more quirky tips and question answered on death cleaning which she promises in the prologue. I must admit I have not been open-minded all the time. I just wish I had been. No matter how ancient you become there are always new discoveries; new mindsets through which to see your life and the experiences you have had. When you are over 80, it’s easy to be angry. There is new stuff all the time – new politicians, new countries, new wars, new technologies.. Everything is in fact new and getting newer all the time. You have two choices – be angry or go with the flow. Please try the latter. To accept, even enjoy, the changes can be really fun.

Memory helps us retrieve events and people we want to remember. But my closest ones are always within and next to me—I don’t need to think about things we did or said. Some people just become part of you. That feels comforting. But perhaps my advice and discoveries are “Swedish” in that as a nationality, we tend to be quite blunt, clear-eyed, and unsentimental. Aging is often difficult, but it doesn’t have to be if you approach it in a way that isn’t too filled with drama or with dread. And if you can find a way to make aging itself into an art, where you are creative in how you approach each day, perhaps it can be a little easier. Magnusson recounts times of living in fear, from personal tragedies to global public ones. How has she kept her head up when the world feels like it’s crumbling? we asked her. For one, we must face that there is always hardship in the world, she says. “When you have gotten this old, as old as I am, you have to face that story enough.” And we also need to lean into joy and beauty. “We have to try to be happy with the small things around,” she adds. All the flowers on my balcony. The little things like that. When you look at that, it makes everything much easier.”

A humorous book of insights and stories about growing old in today’s world by the NYT bestselling author of The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning.But for this, she has a consolation—a good one. “Eat chocolate. And take a gin and tonic with your friend!” Magnusson uses a dry, unsentimental and sometimes dark Scandinavian sense of humor, and writes with an older set (and their younger relatives) in mind. . . . like a conversation over tea with a friend." — Associated Press Finally, because death cleaning really does not ever really end until you yourself do, I’ve included a little appendix to tell you about a few more tips I’ve discovered about perfecting your death cleaning, as well as answers to a few of the most often-asked questions that came up from readers. One element I particularly appreciate is that the advice doesn’t assume you stop aging at a particular point in time. Instead, there is a good amount of advice for people over 80, which is something I rarely see in comparable books on the topic. Octogenarian is still a long way off for me, but it’s useful to know what 80 looks like for some people. It gives a sense that there’s still time to course correct.

Title: The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly: Life Wisdom from Someone Who Will (Probably) Due Before You From the bestselling author of The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, here is a charming and humorous book about embracing life at any age.

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I felt light and clearheaded. With all the stuff of my life no longer weighing on me, I began to refocus on what I would do now that I had no more death cleaning ahead. Margareta Magnusson reveals her discoveries about aging—some difficult to accept, many rather wondrous. She reflects on her idyllic childhood on the west coast of Sweden, the fullness of her life with her husband and five children, and learning how to live alone. The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly explore the process of growing older and the joys and sorrows it can bring. It is a reminder of embracing life and the time we have. What a gentle story written by a lovely lady in her 80's. The author tells us so much about her life, the way she raised her children and her philosophy behind 'death cleaning' - downsizing in your later years to take the burden off those left behind. Your family may not appreciate your 'stuff', whereas if you can organise yourself, your belongings and your home while you can, you can enjoy the process of reconnecting with your goods before giving away, recycling, handing on to others. From New York Times bestselling author of The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning— now a TV series developed by Amy Poehler and Scout Productions—a book of humorous and charming advice for embracing life and aging joyfully .

Magnusson, who is Swedish, either wrote this in English or translated it herself for simultaneous 2022 publication in Sweden and the USA – where the title phrase is “Aging Exuberantly.” There is some quirky phrasing that a native speaker would never use, more so than in her Döstädning: The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, which I reviewed last year, but it’s perfectly understandable. In those days, calling someone outside Sweden or in another country than where you were was something you didn’t do unless it was very important. It was simply too expensive. Sure, we could have written letters, but in between infants and moving vans it was hard to find the time to sit down, or the peace of mind to collect my thoughts. Many times, so much had happened that I didn’t know at what end to begin. She discusses travelling from country to country with her young family, for her husbands work, and the way times have changed. Included are funny anecdotes from times gone by, her experience with Covid and losing her husband, and to embrace a smaller and easier to manage home.Lots of little family anecdotes like that enter into the book. Magnusson has five children and lived in Singapore and Annapolis, Maryland (my part of the world!) for a time. The open-mindedness I’ve mentioned was an attitude she cultivated towards new-to-her customs like a Chinese wedding, Christian adult baptism, and Halloween. Happy memories are her emotional support; as for physical assistance: “I call my walker Lars Harald, after my husband who is no longer with me. The walker, much like my husband was, is my support and my safety.” From New York Times bestselling author of The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, a book of humorous and charming advice for embracing life and aging joyfully . One of Magnusson’s greatest hits of wisdom was born from regret. “I must admit, I have not been open-minded all the time. I wish I had been,” she writes. When we asked her to elaborate, she told us that it’s critical to always look around, engage with people, and listen to what’s happening in the world. “Don’t close yourself in,” she adds. “To be open-minded is important.” Her wisdom advocates things like surrounding yourself with young people, volunteering, hair care, avoiding falls, keeping an open mind, eat chocolate, wear stripes and she shares anecdotes from her own childhood and her days of parenting young children and teenagers. Ageing is often difficult, but it doesn’t have to be if you approach it in a way that isn’t too filled with drama or dread. And if you can find a way to make ageing itself into an art, where you are creative in how you approach each day, perhaps it can be a little easier,’ says 86-year-old author Margareta Magnusson. In her latest book The Swedish Art of Ageing Well Magnusson shares her advice on the best ways to embrace life, age joyfully and accept change. She reflects on her life as an artist and mother of five, and suggests we should not live in fear of death but rather focus on connecting with our loved ones and appreciating beauty. The publishers, Canongate, have kindly let me share some of Magnusson’s musings here: