Happinest

An empty nest does not have to be an empty life. Judy Holland shows you how to get back in touch with yourself, your partner, your life, AND your kids when the house is less-populated. The transition to the empty nest creates a void that can catapult you into existential crisis. Your zeal for climbing the career ladder, striving for social status, and collecting material things starts to subside, as is common in middle age. Friends and relatives may suffer from illness or pass away, bringing jarring reminders of mortality that trigger a need to make sense of it all. HappiNest helps you traverse this passage with grace by distilling the latest social science research and drawing from hundreds of interviews with those who have gone before you. Whether you're seeking a renaissance in your romantic relationship, dealing with a boomerang child at home, or figuring out how to support aging parents, this book is for you. HappiNest explores a variety of challenges that arise when the house is suddenly empty or emptying, and Judy Holland provides tips and tools for managing the emotions and realities of this new life stage. From dealing with friends, career transitions, rekindling love or leaving a marriage, to reconnecting with genuine interests and passions, this road map will help guide you. There are hills, valleys, thickets, briar patches, and ditches ahead, as well as waterfalls that resolve into pristine ponds. With mindfulness, hard work, and knowledge of experiences, research, and wisdom from seasoned empty nesters, you can create the most golden phase of your life.
About the Author: Judy Holland has been a journalist for more than 30 years, having spent 13 years in the Washington Bureau of Hearst Newspapers, where she was national editor, preparing stories for 600 newspapers over The New York Times wire. She also served as Capitol Hill Correspondent and was elected president of the Washington Press Club Foundation, a nonprofit celebrating female pioneers in journalism and providing scholarships for women and minorities. She has been a Capitol Hill commentator for C-Span and CNN and won the Hearst Eagle Award for excellence in journalism. Judy's stories have appeared in dozens of publications, including the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner, Tampa Tribune, and Washingtonian magazine. Her work includes hundreds of stories about teens, including a piece for Washingtonian about the pressures that teenagers face. She also was founder and editor-in-chief of Parentinsider.com, an online magazine for parents of teens, for which she wrote stories, edited columns, and co-produced videos. She lives in Washington, D.C., and is married to orthopedic spine surgeon John Starr. They have three children: Lindsay, Maddie, and Jack, who left their Great Dane Hudson at home to fill the empty nest.