At least you’re alive.
That’s what Sydney Altman ’93 thought when friends began complaining about graying hair, sagging buttocks, dormant libido, and various other afflictions that beset people of a certain age–her age, that is. A former clinical psychologist who attended law school in her 40s, Altman had known too many people who died before hitting midlife, who never had a chance to complain. So with the wisdom of her years, she wrote Mother Goose Tells the Truth About Middle Age: A Collection of Wise and Witty Poems for Adults (BaBoom Press, 2002), featuring twists on classic nursery rhymes like “What Are Aging Boys Made Of?” and “Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Estrogen Gone?” It’s a reminder, she says, that these can be the best years of your life, especially if you have a sense of humor. Remember that when it takes you more time to get off the couch than to sing “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”