Book Excerpts

How This Book Came To Be

While writing this book, I was inspired to present information in a format similar to the travel guides published by Fodor, Frommer, and Lonely Planet. These travel guides give up-to-the-minute information on how to plan your itinerary, what to pack, things to do, restaurant and hotel reviews, plus ratings for attractions of historical interest as well as photo opportunities. They even rate attractions that are “kid-friendly”. They also offer advice from knowledgeable travel experts.

My philosophy of life is simple: find a need and fill it. This book is meant to be a gift to you, as you stand on the threshold of the Age of Elegance.

There is already a magnificent potpourri of books on aging but what you will find within these pages is your own personal road map for a journey into what should and can be the most exciting time of your life.

The idea for this book came about as a result of many conversations with women forty and older who really have no clue as to who they are.

They have spent their lives being someone’s daughter, wife, mother, or a career woman with no identity outside her profession. Now, as they approach this phase of their lives, many of them desperately want to hang on to their youth while others succumb to aging the wrong way.

Use this book to help you:

- Establish your priorities

- Investigate your options

- Zero in on the qualities that will help you become… a woman of elegance.

In the course of writing this book, I have talked with many women, and sad to say, many women cannot begin to fathom themselves as being “elegant”. Yet every woman has the potential to become an elegant woman.


It begins with a serious examination of self to re-discover who you really are at this point in your life. Then you can go on to identify the qualities that you already have that are attributes of elegance, refine or eliminate any behavior that might prevent you from being totally elegant, and affirm yourself as a woman of elegance.

Litany of Elegance

Blessed is the woman who affirms herself each day
Blessed is the woman who believes that beauty comes from within.
Blessed is the woman who challenges media stereotypes of aging.
Blessed is the woman who dares to try something new after fifty.
Blessed is the woman who envisions change as an opportunity.
Blessed is the woman who focuses on the “bigger picture” - not just herself.
Blessed is the woman who grants herself permission to make mistakes.
Blessed is the woman who handles adversity with dignity and grace.
Blessed is the woman who initiates dialogue with her younger counterparts.
Blessed is the woman who joins a group trying to make a difference.
Blessed is the woman who knows the difference between aggression and assertiveness.
Blessed is the woman who learns the difference between sex and love.
Blessed is the woman who manages her money wisely.
Blessed is the woman who nurtures the young with her wisdom and experience.
Blessed is the woman who opens her heart to the less fortunate.
Blessed is the woman who prioritizes her needs with integrity.
Blessed is the woman who questions The Establishment when she sees immorality.
Blessed is the woman who relishes her role as mentor and legacy leader.
Blessed is the woman who speaks with quiet authority.
Blessed is the woman who trusts her instincts on when to act.
Blessed is the woman who understands that aging gracefully is something to be proud of.
Blessed is the woman who values her own worth.
Blessed is the woman who wears her silver hair and wrinkles like a badge of honor.
Blessed is the woman who opts to X out negative thinking.
Blessed is the woman who yearns for that which is substantial and not superficial.
Blessed is the woman who zeroes in on the qualities that will help her become …

A Woman of Elegance

~~ Chloe Jon Paul

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