I recently  had a birthday. I call it my entry into the Third Act of Life. One of my gifts from a long-time friend was the book Hagitude -  Reimagining The Second Half of Life by Sharon Blackie. 

It is a book her 50-something daughter is excited about as well. As you can guess, the book is a powerful challenge to reject the stereotypes of aging, especially of women. There once was a time when the elder woman was respected, appreciated, even revered as the wise woman. But as the patriarchy grew, the term hag turned ugly in every way.

You may recognize Sharon Blackie's name from the book If Women Rose Rooted. The current book takes us further.

It begins with stories of the Hag of Beara, the Caillagh, the Crone,  which I have written about in blogs and is featured in my book Amidst the Stones of Celtic Ireland.

The friend who gifted me the book had actually traveled the Beara Peninsula in Ireland with me a few years ago. We had shared a ritual on aging at the sea-side rock called the Hag of Beara. So you can bet that I am already an advocate of the book even though I have only read half of the entries. 

Sharon has coined the word "hagitude", saying when it came to her she knew instantly that it was going to be the title of her new book. In other words, the book is about hags with attitude. 

I'll say no more.  LOL.