"Changing with Aging" (Don Kuhl)

TITLE: Changing with Aging: Little Stories, Big Lessons
AUTHOR: Don Kuhl
PUBLISHER: Boca Raton, FL: HCI Communications, 2022, (224 pages).

If there is one thing that is guaranteed to happen in life, that is aging. We are all adding years to our lives. Every birthday celebration, anniversary, or remembrance of a milestone. In an honest assessment of life as well as a determination to make the best out of the years we have, author Don Kuhl shares stories and insights as he deals with the topic of aging. He does that through stories and snippets of life as he knows it. At 73 years old now, he provides us with his own set of reflections about the ups and downs of life, and in this book, about aging. He shares about his family, generously providing photos from his personal collection. He looks back at his life as a son, a husband, a father, an entrepreneur, and a friend to many. With a strong desire to share lessons from his past misadventures, he set up a company in 1988 called "The Change Companies" to help others learn of and tell their stories. This book is his own story to help inspire the rest of us to do the same. The ten chapters of this book follow a somewhat chronological journey of the author's own life. With each recollection, Kuhl often relates his stories with wittiness and wisdom. He urges us to play back our memories often. Even when some of these memories are disappointments, these are the memories that make us who we are today. He tells us not to take life too seriously but to learn to play from time to time. From playing pranks to surprises, we not only learn to inject humour but also stay sane in a crazy world. On family and loved ones, he reminds us to cherish them and to give our best. The short stories and snippets make this book a delightful read and quietly encourages us to do the same with our own lives.

My Thoughts

From birth to mid-life, and from adulthood to retirement, there are many lessons we can pick up for ourselves. As the title of the book suggests, we change. People change. The same ones we know yesterday are not necessarily the same today. It is in learning how to reflect and revisit our past can we appreciate the things that had happen to us. We focus on the positive when we take stock of all the circumstances and facts surrounding the decisions we made. It is not the failures in life that define us. In fact, not even the successes will define us adequately. It is how we pick up from our failures and how we humble ourselves in the successes that define us. It is the difficult decisions we make that make us who we are today. As far as this book's theme is concerned, it is in remembering the life we have lived and being able to learn from them that will define us today and energize us for tomorrow. We all age. With age comes the ability to join the dots of our life in order to form a picture of us. The chapters in this book are brief. Sometimes it ends with a question to make us ponder about what if a different decision or event happened. We might not know the answer but at least it challenges our imaginations. 

Perhaps, when we learn to tell and retell our own stories from the past, we learn the lessons of the decisions we have made. While we might not change the past, we can definitely learn from them and to apply the wisdom of old toward the future. We can also pass down our lessons to the next generation or like what Don Kuhl has done, record our stories in a book. 

Don Kuhl founded The Change Companies® in 1988. Since launching this company, Don has worked with approximately 150 agencies and corporations to tailor Interactive Journals to serve unique populations. His collaborative efforts in Substance Use, Justice Services, Impaired Driving, Healthcare and Education have consistently focused on helping individuals begin the process of positive personal change.

Earlier in his career, Don worked in many industries including hotel management, publishing, higher education administration and healthcare business development. Along the way, he created numerous companies, experiencing both successes and failures. He has his M.S. degree from Iowa State University.

Rating: 3.75 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of Health Communications Inc and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.