If there is one thing that is guaranteed to happen in life, that is aging. We are all adding years to our lives. Every birthday celebration, anniversary, or remembrance of a milestone. In an honest assessment of life as well as a determination to make the best out of the years we have, author Don Kuhl shares stories and insights as he deals with the topic of aging. He does that through stories and snippets of life as he knows it. At 73 years old now, he provides us with his own set of reflections about the ups and downs of life, and in this book, about aging. He shares about his family, generously providing photos from his personal collection. He looks back at his life as a son, a husband, a father, an entrepreneur, and a friend to many. With a strong desire to share lessons from his past misadventures, he set up a company in 1988 called "The Change Companies" to help others learn of and tell their stories. This book is his own story to help inspire the rest of us to do the same. The ten chapters of this book follow a somewhat chronological journey of the author's own life. With each recollection, Kuhl often relates his stories with wittiness and wisdom. He urges us to play back our memories often. Even when some of these memories are disappointments, these are the memories that make us who we are today. He tells us not to take life too seriously but to learn to play from time to time. From playing pranks to surprises, we not only learn to inject humour but also stay sane in a crazy world. On family and loved ones, he reminds us to cherish them and to give our best. The short stories and snippets make this book a delightful read and quietly encourages us to do the same with our own lives.

My Thoughts
From birth to mid-life, and from adulthood to retirement, there are many lessons we can pick up for ourselves. As the title of the book suggests, we change. People change. The same ones we know yesterday are not necessarily the same today. It is in learning how to reflect and revisit our past can we appreciate the things that had happen to us. We focus on the positive when we take stock of all the circumstances and facts surrounding the decisions we made. It is not the failures in life that define us. In fact, not even the successes will define us adequately. It is how we pick up from our failures and how we humble ourselves in the successes that define us. It is the difficult decisions we make that make us who we are today. As far as this book's theme is concerned, it is in remembering the life we have lived and being able to learn from them that will define us today and energize us for tomorrow. We all age. With age comes the ability to join the dots of our life in order to form a picture of us. The chapters in this book are brief. Sometimes it ends with a question to make us ponder about what if a different decision or event happened. We might not know the answer but at least it challenges our imaginations.

Perhaps, when we learn to tell and retell our own stories from the past, we learn the lessons of the decisions we have made. While we might not change the past, we can definitely learn from them and to apply the wisdom of old toward the future. We can also pass down our lessons to the next generation or like what Don Kuhl has done, record our stories in a book.

Don Kuhl founded The Change Companies® in 1988. Since launching this company, Don has worked with approximately 150 agencies and corporations to tailor Interactive Journals to serve unique populations. His collaborative efforts in Substance Use, Justice Services, Impaired Driving, Healthcare and Education have consistently focused on helping individuals begin the process of positive personal change.

Earlier in his career, Don worked in many industries including hotel management, publishing, higher education administration and healthcare business development. Along the way, he created numerous companies, experiencing both successes and failures. He has his M.S. degree from Iowa State University.

Rating: 3.75 stars of 5.

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This book has been provided courtesy of Health Communications Inc and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

I expected this book to be a lot more structured and a bit more chronological. It feels very disjointed, and the wisdom and lessons learned felt few and far between.

Don encourages one to write down what they’ve done for the sake of their grandchildren. I agree with this practice, and I think this book will mean the world to his grandchildren and his future descendants. As someone who has never read his blog and does not know him personally, it did not mean that much to me.

It’s a lot of personal musings and stories, very similar to the way a grandparent talks in real life, just going from one random story to the next with no segue or connection. That can work in face-to-face conversation, but it did not serve the book well.

There were a few rare nuggets of wisdom to be found, and I most enjoyed the end when he became more focused on his own mortality. I appreciate his mention of a few particular books I have now added to my to-read list.

Thank you, NetGalley and HCI books for the ARC!

Don Kuhl's CHANGING WITH AGING is a personal and thought provoking book about a life spent in service, in wonder, in observing and considering the people around him. As I read, I felt like I was sharing coffee with a stranger becoming a friend with each story, with each bit of hard-won success and triumph and tough, baffling times. I finished the stories with a smile on my face, feeling smarter and heartened by his frank, plainspoken, and hard-hitting tales. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.