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SENIOR LIFE ODYSSEY: Book club banter
I am writing this the day after the Monday evening Adult Book Club at the Putnam County Public Library, still embracing all the good feelings after sharing thoughts and laughter with some really smart women.
We spent the last year reading serious literary fiction, some Pulitzer Prize winners addressing pandemics, plagues, race relations, poverty and addiction. We are ending this period with David Sedaris, popular humorist and satirist.
Lots of you are probably already in book clubs. I may have met you and discussed what you are currently reading. Of course I am going to tell you that there are many reasons to join a book club and they are all good for us as we age. (And I am not talking about wine drinking.)
1. The Relationships (social connections) – According to the book “Mayo Clinic on Healthy Aging,” “the health benefits of friendship increasing evidence suggests that physical indicators of your health – your blood cholesterol levels, heart rate, blood pressure and immune system responses are influenced by psychosocial factors, such as your attitude and your relationships. Whereas social isolation can contribute to illness and poor health, having strong connections with the outside world appears to reap many benefits.” My book club has introduced me to new people and I always look forward to what they have to share.
2. A Growth Mindset – Some of the books on our reading list are not books I would ever have chosen to read. I have been pushed out of my comfort zone, and that is almost always a good thing. Keeping an open mind and letting others show me the way has been a key to an interesting group.
3. Laughter – Even when we were reading serious material this group finds humor among the sadness and tragedy. And isn’t that a good lesson for life? Characters who succeed despite their sometimes horrific circumstances give us hope that we too can be resilient when times are tough and find the humor in our humanity.
4. Homework – Preparing for the group has also had its benefits. I can research the author, setting of the book or the historical period in which the book takes place. Thank you, internet, Youtube and our library for teaching me how to find juicy bits to share with the group.
If you need more reasons to join or start a book club, I recommend watching the “Book Club” films, not because of their literary value, but because of the quality of the relationships among the characters played by Candace Bergen, Mary Steenburgen, Diane Keaton and Jane Fonda.
I know that after our Adult Book Club meets at PCPL, I will already be looking forward to the next book and the next book club meeting. New members are always welcome on the second Monday of the month.