BOOK REVIEW BILL MACPHERSON For the phase we all go through
A Harley or My Wife? Noel McNaughton, Caboodle Publishing
Are you feeling bummed? Life got
you by the short and curlies, and it ain’t letting go? Edmonton-based author and
journalist Noel McNaughton has been there and he can relate. So much so that he’s written a book about it. “It” is the male midlife crisis, or as
McNaughton calls it, midlife transition. Now that might be sugar-coating a bit, but regardless of what you call it, there’s no question that it happens to a lot of men. Technically, that time when
everything seems in flux and is not going the way it SHOULD be going – vitality, wealth, happiness − is called viropause or andopause, and there are many symptoms. Fear not though guys: solutions are
at hand. So if you’re like me, you’re
thinking, “not another self-help book! Who needs it?” Or, “That’s not me he’s talking about…” Well, guess what? Most of us guys
in our 40s or 50s or 60s are going through or have gone through this life phase. And there is a wealth of good information in the 200 or so pages of A Harley or My Wife? McNaughton has lots of life
experience (don’t we all?) and a wide range of expertise in areas like goal setting, planning, problem solving, conflict resolution and decision making. He tackles the issues in a clear, concise approach and style. Even with the wide-ranging subject matter at hand, the book is an easy, informative
and insightful read. Taking on the big issues – health,
work, relationships – and addressing lots of lesser ones too, McNaughton lays out problems/symptoms and issues. Then he provides preventative measures and solutions that will definitely help in making you feel a whole lot better. He employs anecdotes, parables,
philosophy, common sense, statistics, websites, poetry, academic studies and quotations to cover all the bases, using the motorcycle metaphor as a thematic structure. Sex (or lack of it), stress, exercise,
the big C, depression, spirituality, alcohol intake, eating habits and even minor things like snoring, family gatherings and hair loss are dealt with openly and positively. There’s a lot in here for a guy to ingest, but it’s valuable information that can’t help but educate at the least and bring about positive, beneficial changes ideally, according to McNaughton. Of course, as McNaughton points
out, you’ve got to recognize the cause of the malaise and be willing to learn and change. He believes that acknowledgement, education and adjusting in small ways is key, and he’s written A Harley or My Wife? to help. The bottom line for him is that
the choice the title suggests is a red herring, a non-starter. You CAN have the Harley and a happy, healthy, strong relationship, too. And be a better man for it. Just read his book. HHH out of five
34 BOUNDER MAGAZINE
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BOUNDER MAGAZINE 35
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