Ever wondered how to age well? How about aging better? Wonder no more! Essential Skills for Growing Old with Grace offers suggestions for adopting a flexible approach to aging in the 21st century. This book shares skills and attitudes needed not only to be happy growing older but also to live a rich and fulfilling life. Truly essential knowledge that will make an impact on you for years to come. Recognizing unavoidable changes come with aging, this collection of essays offers examples of skills needed to adapt to the changes aging brings and find ways to change your environment to support your independence. You'll get tips for adapting to changes and learn how to have the hard conversations that come with aging. No matter how old you are, you can always experience aging with grace. In some ways, Essential Skills for Growing Old with Grace is a weightier read than its predecessors. That's because it embarks on hard conversations that consider such subjects as dying, integrating old and new paradigms of belief about aging and living, and asking the question "What is enough?" when it comes to life choices and achievements. These, in turn, lend to a revised idea of aging, coping, and decision-making that ultimately feed the main messages of these books, on how to lead a better, more mindful life as one ages. From finding nourishment on many levels to cultivating a sense of gratitude and attending to building daily competency in the face of Covid and other challenges, there is no better formula for moving into advancing years than the strategies outlined in Essential Skills for Growing Old with Grace . - D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review Mary Flett's books are the very best guide to take on your journey of aging. -Sam Keen, American Philosopher, Author, and Former Editor of Psychology Today The delightful and seductive quality about Mary Flett's hard-earned wisdom is that she offers it delivered with more than a dash of wit, irony, modesty, curiosity, and succinctness. I always come away lighter and reflective after reading one of her essays. Probably none of us would say "Yippee" about looking at our elderhood. Mary lets the medicine go down painlessly and easily so that the experience of or, anticipation of, elderhood is something to which we can look forward, not resign ourselves. She is not only an experienced professional who has seen many in her work as a psychologist, but speaks from her own experience, which in the end is the only authority that we can trust in ourselves or others. Her books are a Michelin three-course dinner. You will dine well with Mary! -Jill Mellick, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, Clinical Psychologist, Artist, Poet, and Author Mary L. Flett, PhD, is a writer, educator, and retired psychologist with over 30-years' experience working with aging adults. She currently resides in Sonoma, CA. Dr. Flett grew up in the Midwest, graduated from college in upstate New York, and moved to California to find herself. All of which has offered her opportunities to share her insight and wisdom with new audiences. Dr. Flett has a background in theatre and music, and has used these talents on stage, film, and in living rooms around the world. She has taught everything from swimming and whitewater canoeing to psychopathology and mindfulness. Dr. Flett has written music, plays, academic and professional books, and has recently published a three-book series of essays. After having completed a Masters in Counseling Psychology, she received her doctorate from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. Since then, as a clinical psychologist, Dr. Flett has worked in crisis residential facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and for local county government. Additionally, she conducted quality improvement at both county and federal levels. Dr. Flett has taught psychology and counseling to both graduate and undergraduate students in state and private colleges in California. She was a nationally recognized presenter on diagnosing psychiatric conditions and on issues related to treating aging adults. Dr. Flett is also the author of the seminal work, Mastering the DSM-5 . Now retired after 20 years in private practice as a licensed psychologist, Dr. Flett is turning her energy to writing and producing workshops. She offers seminars on aging through Five Pillars of Aging, and publishes through Five Pillars of Aging Press.