If you've been convinced that you need to fear or dread aging, you haven’t met writer Monica Corcoran Harel’s mother, Veronica. As Monica writes, midlife can feel like “adolescence in reverse.” But she’s found solace in reflecting back at the transformation Veronica underwent 30-plus years ago — and in watching how her mom has embraced the present with just as much enthusiasm. “At 82, Veronica goes out to jazz clubs and art openings — and sometimes sleeps until noon the next day with her cat, ZouZou. She meets friends for Moroccan food and flirts with younger men,” she writes. “Just watching my mom’s third act unfold gives me hope that our later decades aren’t all about Mephisto slides and slipped discs.” Now, for Monica, these years are no longer something to despair over or attempt to reverse. They’re something to savor. If only they lasted longer.
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