At age thirty-two, I had overcome cancer and the amputation of my left leg. I had paid my dues and figured it would take a lot more than turning seventy to bring me down. Or would it?

I began to wonder about other women of a certain age and what paths they've taken and how they are managing their own changing tides. So, I invited ordinary women with extraordinary stories to get real about aging. With wit, humor and staunch frankness, these women explain, discuss, call out and examine how they continue to negotiate the dynamic currents of aging.

In my own response to aging, I've written personal stories and anecdotes around my own discoveries. Some are serious, inspirational, illuminating. Others are outrageous, foolish, awkward and funny. Our stories, together, powerfully impart what it means to possess a certain wisdom, a certain comfort, a certain sensuality, a certain persona . . . not despite but precisely because of the experience of growing older.