Old Dog, New Tricks

I’ve been ‘feelin like an old dog lately: No new tricks; no new kicks (but a lot of new kinks as I curl up on the couch – getting ready for retirement). Unfortunately, my business partner changed that perfectly acceptable old-person’s matrix on my 54th birthday. He said, “you’re not getting any younger, ‘me boy” and handed me: “Younger Next Year. A Guide to Living like 50 Until you’re 80 and Beyond.”

JUST what this old dog needs: a Self Help book. The Good News is: The first goal is already met: I’m 50! How hard can this be?

To humor my thoughtful (and slightly sarcastic) business partner, I started reading his stupid book. Then I found I couldn’t put it down. My matrix did a ’180 in the first few pages! The book’s message is good, and it’s a Mans Book to boot: no tears; no fluff; no Bull! Alpha Male material with a Tough Love tenor: “Be a man; go to work; get ‘er done.” I was hooked from Page One. (I even read The Acknowledgments, The Appendix and The Table of Contents!) The old dog found a good bone!

Preparing for the “Last Third of Life” is not a ‘Boomer- babying story. It’s a gritty field manual on how to win a battle you’re ultimately going to lose; it shows you how to go down hard; go down swinging. Henry Lodge and Chris Crowley take turns writing chapters – making strong arguments to convince old dogs that, by following seven simple rules there truly is, “A Guide to Living like 50 until you’re 80 and beyond.”

Wise-cracking, New ‘Yawk lawyer Cowley keeps the banter lively – and manly – in each of his chapters. A 70-year-old convert to the lifestyle and philosophy espoused by his co-author, Crowley is living testament to living long – and strong – into retirement and beyond! Crowley is a great story teller. He uses lawyerly skills to draw readers in to get a conviction. Sometimes, it doesn’t seem like he’s counseling you on anything as he’s nudging you off the couch. Other times, he cuts the flowery courtroom crap and comes right at you with the language of the street – and the law of the jungle.

Internist Lodge also gets in your face, but approaches his chapters a little more measured; a little more professorially as he paints a gloriously illustrated textbook on history, physiology, psychology, aging and the human spirit… Never a “Science Guy” in school, I thrilled at Doc’s depiction of human development since ‘BigBang! I learned more about my species and its development over billions of years than all the shows I’ve watched on Discovery Channel curled up on the couch.

Lodge’s arguments about life, and living, and health, and aging made perfect sense to a geriatric neophyte like me, and gave me great pause as to where life is supposed to go; where it’s programmed to go; where we all want it to go: Younger Next Year. The ‘boys just published a Women’s Version/Same Title. It’s probably not very different because of the science behind the original, but I’m sure they cleaned up some of the “Locker Room” language.

Curl up with either version, you old Dog!

Old Dog, New Tricks