Page 3 - MidWeek Kauai - April 21, 2021

Recently, Amara Hoshijo has been the first of my cham- pions who is younger than me. I suppose that’s part of the nat- ural process of aging. At first, the teachers and those you lean on are older than you. Howev- er, as you age, you begin to depend on the younger.
Like most good writers, Far- ber worries. He not only wor- ries about his own declining health in a very open and hon- est manner, but he also worries about the ocean. Even people who are global-warming skep- tics can’t deny that 8 billion people produce a staggering
I don’t know if I’ll reach my late 70s. But if I do, I’d like to still be writing at a high level as well, though Farber warns:
roofer, tile setter, electrician. Not to mention all the permits and inspections one has to get. Such — taxing — tasks.”
A survivor of open-heart surgery, heart valve replace- ment, knee replacement and an assortment of other health
If you feel like getting your think on, read Acting My Age. Unlike the things I normally review, things that I do enjoy watching, after reading Far-
Acting My Age is available digitally and in paperback at the UH Press website and Amazon.
Farber frets about the very foundations of human nature. Our propensity to trample more than advance. Our an- thropomorphic tendencies. But he doesn’t lecture. His tone is more observational and specu- lative. Age has not diminished his curiosity nor his ability to reflect either.
Tom Farber, author of Acting My Age PHOTO COURTESY TOM FARBER
“Here, no body parts dead, yet, but increasingly I’ m aware of the effort required. If I tell people that writing a book is like building a house one lives in during construction, then there are roles to fill: architect, carpenter, plumber, painter,
Yet another lesson to consid- er from one of my sages.
APRIL 21, 2021
KAUA‘I MIDWEEK 3
Rotten
One For The Aging
BY CHRIS MCKINNEY
PAPAYAS
The writing side of my life has been one long mentorship program in which I’m the constant learner. I’ve been fortunate. Phil Da- mon, Ian Macmillan, Joy Mar- sella, Bennett Hymer, Gavan Daws, Wayne Wang, Michael Palmieri, Don Wallace have all supported and encouraged my work over the years.
Tom Farber, who has also provided mentorship for me in the past, has come out with a new memoir, Acting My Age. A part-time Hawai‘i resident for decades, Farber contemplates the ocean, confined animals, advanced aging and death in his new book. This is not light reading. It’s highly contempla- tive prose filled with etymolo- gy, quotes, marine biology and steady observation. There are black-and-white pics courtesy of renowned ocean photogra- pher Wayne Levin.
issues that often plague the ag- ing, Farber is now approach- ing 80. Age has slowed him down. However, it has failed to diminish his astonishing intelligence. He observes the ocean and its inhabitants with the same keen eye he uses to capture his neighbors, friends, and Kaimana Beach and Ka- pi‘olani Park goers.
amount of waste and trash, and much of it ends up in the ocean. Shake the magic eight ball all you want, the answer will be the same: Outlook not so good.
ber’s book, I felt a little smarter as opposed to simply satiated. But Farber has always had that effect on me, and I assume many others as well. He’s the kind of guy who generously passes wisdom without making one feel stupid.
chrismckinney808@gmail.com