How Gray is my Valley: Enlightened Observations About Being Old
For over a decade Rogue Valley (Southern Oregon) retiree Sharon Johnson has written a weekly column (now syndicated nation-wide) titled Healthy Aging in which she shares observations and insights, serious and humorous, about life through a 70+ year lens. How Gray is My Valley captures the “best of the best” of these observations in nine easy-to-read chapters with titles such as “Ideas That Heal,” What If You Don’t Remember What You Forgot?” and “Old Love.”
Sharon Johnson
Sharon pours almost 50 years of experience into her writing. She is an Oregon State University Associate Professor Emeritus and has had a long career in public health, human services and academia. Her many accomplishments include Director of Mental Health in the State of Washington and Acting Director of Public Health for Seattle and King County.
After retiring from OSU in 2012 Sharon and her husband founded a nonprofit organization called Age-Friendly Innovators (AFI) with a mission of helping low income seniors and persons with disabilities “age-in-place” in their homes. They created a fund called “Grandma’s Porch” which pays for the cost of purchasing and installing in-home modifications such as grab bars, shower benches, toilet risers and wheelchair ramps. All proceeds from the sale of her book will go to Grandma’s Porch Fund.
How Gray Is My Valley is currently available on Amazon Books ($12.95) and Amazon Kindle ($6.95). Local bookstores in Medford, Ashland and Jacksonville will be offering the book shortly with book signings to be announced.