By Joan Lunden, Simon & Schuster | Review by Marlene Caraballo~
I thoroughly enjoyed Joan Lunden’s latest book, Why Did I Come into This Room?
As famous, polished, and successful as we know Lunden to be from her days on Good Morning America, I was pleased she was more candid in this book about aging than I expected.
She gets right to the truth about getting older from the very first chapter. She writes about the challenges of aging, including her own experiences, with grace and honesty.
And, boy, are there challenges! Every chapter includes topics we can relate to, like wrinkles, expanding waistlines, age spots, and increasing forgetfulness!
While the topics can seem like downers, Lunden touches on each with humor and unbridled optimism. She explains the choices we have as we age: to plan better, take care of our health, stimulate our minds, and nourish our spirits. She expresses how important it is to be proactive.
If we want to have a full life moving into our 60s, 70s, and beyond, we need to take action now buy committing to exercising, eating better, stimulating our brains with learning, and fostering meaningful friendships.
Lunden incorporates the science of aging in ways that encourage the reader to explore useful options for feeling younger, rather than accepting hopelessness about the process of getting older.
Like her, we may not remember from one moment to the next why, exactly, we came into the room.
But we all know what matters most to us. Her stories of family, memories, accomplishments, and hopes for her future will undoubtedly resonate with us. Even though she’s had what most would describe as a glamorous life, she, too, copes with the hurdles and curveballs of aging as we all do.
We can agree with Lunden that the goal is to remain independent, enjoy our lives, and be active participants in the lives of those we love.
I enjoyed Why Did I Come into This Room? I recommend it as a humorous, truthful, and positive — yes, positive — book on aging. It’s the perfect mix of entertaining anecdotes and useful information about making the most of this older season of life.
