INTRODUCTION
TO "MORE THAN EVER- A VIEW FROM MY 70'S)
It could be put, Harriet confides:
"....I had a mother who rarely
said what she felt because women did not back then, and I
determined to be different, and never shut my mouth. I like to
think I have kept that promise to myself through the written
word.
In this book of essays, I am
sometimes angry, sad, joyful, excited, sensual, exploring, and
amazed. Now in my seventies, I'd like to share some of what I
have learned and some of what I hope yet to discover. Be
prepared for honesty and some soul searching. And remember that
at my age, I can be even braver than ever before about what I
dare to say or even what I dare to do."
How does one write an introduction
about 70 years of living? About feeling more like it's the
beginning than possibly the end of life. Most truthfully, after
this vast collection of years, I have more in common with my
teen-age grandson than I do with reaching maturity. He is not
certain where he is going. Neither am I. He has a multitude of
choices. So do I. He will probably change his location, change
his dreams, and change who he is. So might I.
But that does not solve my problem
now. How do I write a preface to this book? How do I make
anyone understand what I am saying in "More Than Ever...A View
From My Seventies?" in just a few pages. It took a lifetime to
gather this information. Through the repercussions of a
depression, a world war, a polio epidemic, women's liberation,
several more wars, advancement in technology and a trip to the
moon. How could I possibly sum that up adequately?...
How do I explain to you why I keep
my Rice Krispies and my Butterscotch Krimpets in the linen
closet? And boxes of noodles and rice in my refrigerator?
...What a mass of confusion this must seem. A woman who has
survived cancer afraid to drive more than 5 miles in one
direction. Mind you, one direction only. A woman who has
experienced widowhood after 35 years of marriage and finds
herself in the singles scene again. A woman whose grandchildren
know she has three writing desks but no knowledge of what other
grandmoms do best. Cook..."
Order "More Than Ever"
December 7, 2004
