March 28, 2024

A Wise Woman from the North

Rehoboth Ramblings

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Does the idea of growing older sometimes seem to be relentlessly depressing? I recently read the very enjoyable “The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly” by Margareta Magnusson, who is in her late 80’s. I confess that I haven’t yet tackled her previous book, “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning”, being a little creeped out by the title. At first it sounded to me like those specialist cleaners who have the unenviable job of mopping up after murders. But I guess that wouldn’t be gentle, would it?

What the Swedish phrase “dostadning” means is clearing out your accumulated clutter while you still can, so your children or other relatives aren’t stuck with this dreaded chore once you’ve departed this life. As the author bluntly explains, “The idea is that we should not leave a mountain of crap behind for our loved ones to clean up when we die.”

Swedes sometimes have the reputation of being gloomy and dour but this   writer is indeed ebullient. Judging from her photos and videos, Mrs. Magnusson is still bright and lively and looks at least 20 years younger. She’s led an interesting life, having five children in the 1960’s and then moving around the world with her husband’s job.

Her American stay was in Annapolis back in the 1970’s and she has many amusing stories from that era. The children picked up English very easily but she found it harder. (I pity anyone who has to learn English as an adult. It’s a language that seems to have more exceptions than rules). But Margareta is now a fluent English speaker and writer. The family also lived for a time in Hong Kong and Singapore before returning to Sweden, so they became quite the world travelers.

Margareta had a difficult time after losing her husband Lars some years ago but eventually got her optimism back. She moved from their small coastal city of Gothenburg to Stockholm to immerse herself in its lively arts scene, a life-long passion. Later, she also had a near-death experience with a heart attack but bounced back from that as well. She said she didn’t see any angels or a tunnel with bright light, in case anyone is wondering, but afterwards “slowly it dawned on me that I had just gotten my life back…. I felt very happy.”

Some of her advice you’ve heard before, such as volunteer as much as you can, don’t fall over (the author fell and broke her pelvis right at the start of the pandemic lockdown but now is able to live on her own again), and keep an open mind. Other suggestions are more quirky, such as eat chocolate, have a gin and tonic with a friend, and wear stripes (not my thing, but to each her own, and yes to the chocolate.)

Mrs. Magnusson urges her readers to remember “no matter how ancient you become, there are always new discoveries, new mind-sets though which to see your life and the experiences you have had. And new and familiar pleasures to be had every day.”

One of the pleasures of nature that often attracts older people is bird-watching, though a number of younger people are interested in our avian friends too. I know that those dedicated to this pastime are called “birders” but I don’t qualify for this title, though I have friends who are true birders and are very good at it. My eyesight, never excellent, is even more problematic now but I do enjoy seeing birds in general and are glad to see a variety of them at the back yard feeder.

Bluebirds Flourishing
Bluebirds, that symbol of happiness, are now flourishing in Rehoboth. Hank Coleman says, “Through the efforts of the 49 members of the Rehoboth Bluebird Society there has been a marked increase in bluebird sightings throughout our town. For the first time, people are reporting small flocks of bluebirds visiting mealworm feeders and inspecting nesting boxes for use this Spring. One person had over 20 bluebirds in one flock. In addition to the efforts of our members, three bluebird trails in Rehoboth, situated on the grounds of Crestwood golf course, Hazelton golf course and the farm property of the Otis Dyer family, are responsible for the resurgence of this original harbinger of Spring.” Hank encourages anyone interested in wildlife conservation to visit their display at Munroe Feed or to contact him at hjcoleman@comcast.net.

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