Seasons of the Heart: Men and Women Talk about Love, Sex, and Romance After 60

When passion is confined to the rudimentary acts of sex, and unnecessarily squeezed into a framework of youth, it is unlikely that there will be a serious effort to capture the joys of sex outside of that framework, and both older men and older women suffer from similar forms of widow and widower's syndrome, often while still married. That sex has been so narrowly defined and interpreted, is either mistaken religious morality, or an attempt to highjack sex and romance by the young for the young, since for all practical purposes, passion theoretically knows no season, and love is healthy at any age. That love or romance must be expressed only through the narrow lens of passionate sex is not only a hoax, but the cruel joke that the whole of society is led to embrace as reality, a negligence of major proportions. While bodies may not respond according to the memories of youth, the accumulation of human knowledge and creativity prevent them from having to in normal healthy adults. Sex and passion, is, afterall, the organized sensation of functioning brains coordinated with the courage and anticipation of healthy personal interaction. The choice of non-interaction is itself a sign of ill health and poor vision of the purpose of physical intimacy.

Like "Cabbage Heads and Kings," SEASONS of the HEART is a quintessential read for those of us of the "third age." It appears that this author spent many days and hours gathering such in depth thoughts of the sixty to ninety plus age groups. It was truly rewarding reading this worthwhile gem of a book! The diversity of thought of the many, many third age people has given this septuagenarian much to chew over in contemplating his next book.

I've read it casually on the beach, but the words dig in at the deepest levels. Several nights I've awakened with pieces of my life rearranged according to the stories in this book. It has been food for thought and much more than a beach book.

Men and women reveal thoughts about love and sex after 60 in this examination of aging and how it affects romance and love. From economic and social barriers to happiness to stereotypes about aging, Seasons of the Heart gathers the stories of average men and women who are elders.