Dave Barry is a best-selling author, syndicated columnist, humorist, and Pulitzer Prize winner known for his witty, insightful, and sometimes sarcastic humor. After reading Dave Turns 40 and Dave Turns 50, I was curious about his book Lessons From Lucy: The Simple Joys of An Old, Happy Dog. When Dave turned 70, he realized that his dog, Lucy, was handling old age much better than he was. Lucy “has more friends, fewer worries, and way more fun.” It’s a funny, easy-to-read, insightful, sensitive, and touching book about seven lessons that apply to people and pets. In his 70s, Dave has become more reflective, introspective, and philosophical, as theories of adult development inform us. The Palm Beach Post newspaper described the book as “An instruction manual on how to live happy, healthy, and heartily well into your seventies and beyond.” I’ve given the book to several people who laughed at least as much as I did and were equally inspired by its lessons. The lessons are:
- Make new friends (and keep the ones you have).
- Don’t stop having fun (and if you have stopped, start).
- Pay attention to the people you love (not later, right now).
- Let go of your anger unless it’s about something important, which it seldom is.
- Try not to judge people by their looks, and don’t obsess over your own.
- Don’t let your happiness depend on things; they don’t make you truly happy, and you’ll never have enough anyway.
- Don’t lie unless you have an excellent reason, which you probably don’t.
