Post #30: Florida Scott Maxwell

 Word Count: 290

Florida Scott Maxwell was born in Florida, ironically, who originally pursued acting as a career. She eventually gave it all up to marry and live with her husband in the Scotland. She was a book writer, a playwriter, and a mother on top of it all. She then became a Jungian analyst and maintained that job for 25 years. Through the span of her time into her old age, she writes this excerpt to give insight into her life.

In her essay, Maxwell discusses aging and the difficulties that come with getting older. Her essay is full of of moving observations and insightful insights about the aging process and the ways in which we can achieve fulfillment in our latter years.

The following quote is one of Scott-Maxwell's passages:

“‘What more is expected out of me?’ Have we got to pretend out of noblesse oblige that age is nothing, in order to encourage the other? This we do with certain haughtiness, realizing now that we have reached the place beyond resignation, a place I had no idea existed until I arrived here”.

This phrasing perfectly conveys the impression that Scott-Maxwell brings to her reflections on aging. She welcomes the opportunities and challenges that come with aging and continues to actively connect with the world around her rather than giving in to the limits and ideas that frequently go along with getting older.

Throughout the essay, Maxwell examines the many facets of aging, from the bodily changes that come with aging to the potential for emotional and spiritual development as we age. She discusses the value of accepting change and uncertainty, discovering joy and fulfillment in everyday activities, and developing an attitude of thankfulness and compassion for both oneself and others.