The Swedish Have Great Ideas For More Than Just "Death Cleaning"
The author of the best-selling book on cleaning for end-of-life clarity wrote a follow-up on the art of "aging exuberantly."
Margareta Magnusson likely did not realize that she would launch a million conversations worldwide when she decided to write 240 pages on just a single word from her native Swedish language: dostadning (umlaut over the o and the a).
In just one word, the Swedish language sums up what the English language takes a title and a subtitle to explain: “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How To Free Yourself and Your Family From a Lifetime of Clutter.”
Magnusson’s New York Times best seller takes a scary-sounding concept, “death cleaning,” and turns it into a practical, insightful- even charming- guide for people who need some guidance and a push to down-size, clean out, throw out, and generally live more contentedly with less.
I like the overall message, despite that the Swedish word comprises do- meaning death- and stadning- meaning cleaning.
Magnusson presents the word as less about death, and more about making life easier while we’re still living. I mean, who doesn’t feel lighter, freer, and a lot more relaxed after a major basement or garage cleanout?
I’m inspired by stories and wisdom that lead to me making my life the best it can be now, while I’m in one of my many prime times. I know death is inevitable, but I can’t let someday interfere with all I’ve got to do right now!
Magnusson’s follow-up book again has a reference to death in the title. But it’s pretty clear that like me, she’s living for now and not that inevitable outcome.
The author, who says her age is somewhere between 80 and 100, wrote “The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly: Life Wisdom from Someone Who Will (Probably) Die Before You,” during the lockdown period of the pandemic as a way to keep herself upbeat and positive.
Though there isn’t a one-size-fits-all Swedish word to encapsulate the essence of “aging exuberantly,” the combination of getting older and still living life with exuberance is what I call “living in my prime.”
Below is Magnusson’s advice for aging exuberantly that I whole-heartedly agree with and aspire to do:
View aging as a great thing; show gratitude for your years.
Don't view aging with fear, regret, or disdain, says the author. It’s an "inside job" to be more positive about aging and it starts with a shift of your thoughts to all that is good vs. bad. Aging is inevitable, and a gift that many others don't get.
Stay open-minded. Cultivate friendships with people and bring more experience into your life. You don't have to understand everything about modern life that looks very different than it did 40 years ago. Find a way to accept the difference and continue to engage in life, not just pine for yesterday.
Find beauty in life. This matters so much when life is hard. It can help you through difficult times when you allow yourself to appreciate natural beauty or list the things you’re grateful for in your life.
Keep young friends. Find even a little common ground with people a generation or two younger than you. As the author says, "You have to listen to them. Even if you don't think like they do, it's good to know how they think and what they appreciate."
Indulge. Magnusson says continuing to have fun is a must. What kind of fun? That's up to you. It might be spending time with your oldest friends and laughing about old times. Or continuing to enjoy riding a motorcycle, dancing, painting- whatever brings you joy. It doesn't have to be a wild party or an excessively expensive trip around the world. Find out what brings you a feeling of happiness, and then do it again as often as you can.
Here's a little extra advice I’d add as an addendum to this book (or I’ll make a chapter of it when I write a book): don't automatically default to the internal thought, "I'm too old to....." And please don't let others make you think this. You may not want to do some things you used to enjoy but it may not be because you're old. Sometimes we change over time and we get new interests that replace what we used to enjoy.
Before you give up because your knees or shoulders gave up first, consider how you can modify some things you want to keep doing: running can become walking, bicycling can become e-biking.
Let Me Know- Drop a comment below on this topic:
What do you feel the most exuberant about in your life now? What new passion have you discovered you love doing in the last decade or so?