Soul Surviving illustrates the truth of Leonardo da Vinci's statement that "The ultimate luxury is simplicity." We learn how to stay healthy and safe, do minor repairs, keep house on a shoestring, look our best, and appreciate our lives today, not the ideal we may never obtain. We also learn to laugh, or at least smile, at our mistakes, so that we may continue forward. The Poor Widow's Guide to Soul Surviving is a lively, chatty, very personal and upbeat guide to living on reduced income. It is filled with anecdotes of a woman determined to survive - and thrive - regardless of the economy or other circumstances of her life. We are not Aunt Bea and we are not Angelina Jolie but we don't have to be to be content with life.