Sixty, Sexy, Sassy and Free

In her book Sixty, Sexy, Sassy and Free, breast cancer survivor Ann Fry authentically and fearlessly lets her readers know that yes,  it is possible to live a purposeful and passionate life well into what were previously known as our twilight years, and no one should put an age limit on reinvention.

Ann is the quintessential baby boomer, born on the first day of the boomer generation.

She divorced when she was 56, and just days after her 60th birthday, flew to NYC to see if her dream of relocating could become a viable reality. Just 10 days later, Ann returned to Austin, which had been her home for 21 years, sold everything, and moved to NYC to start over. Sixty, Sexy, Sassy and Free recounts her adventures over a nearly three-year period in an easy, funny, sometimes heart-wrenching book that honestly talks about the ups and downs of starting over at 60.

Starting over at any age can be daunting, but for women of a certain age, it brings with it mostly uncharted territory that heretofore hasn’t had much press. Thankfully, Fry isn’t squeamish about discussing everything from dating, sex and falling in love to the realities of leaving friends behind, finding ways to make the Big Apple her own, and even facing fears of growing old with no one to watch over her.

Ann thoughtfully shares the lessons she feels she learned from the experience, which include: not having to understand something to move forward; giving up things that no longer work; learning to speak out; doing things that are scary; not worrying about what others think; not being afraid to get emotionally hurt by men; and the importance of taking care of the soul.

The value of these insights is definitely not limited to women over sixty. In fact, if a younger woman is able to heed some of Ann’s advice, she may find she won’t need to reinvent herself as she gets older and can simply enjoy the life she’s created along the way.