Aging ...

It's not for sissies! Oh how true that saying of a few years ago. Upon exploring the topic of aging I have come across a nifty book called "Aging as Spiritual Practice." by Lewis Richmond. This book brings ideas of how to approach this topic that a huge number of Americans are facing right now. The author takes his point of view from Buddhist practice. That does not threaten me or my faith. Actually I am impressed at how non-judgmental and peaceful his approach is. He just asks that we "sit" with the topic and explore the possibilities. Here are a few of his thoughts from Chapter 2, "Stages of Aging."

"How each of us ages is individual. And yet there are recognizable stages and emotions on the journey of aging. In the first stage, Lightning Strikes, the dominate emotion is surprise. We are taken aback to realize, "I'm really growing old," and then surprised again at how long it took us to see it. The next stage, Coming to Terms, takes hold when we compare ourselves with how we once were - favorably or unfavorably. The stage of Adaptation comes when we no longer compare ourselves to the past and can rest in the age we are now. And the final stage, Appreciation, comes when adaptation matures  in to full acceptance.
Any stage can arise at any age, and stages do not necessarily appear in a fixed order. Sometimes we have to traverse these emotional zones more than once."

Wow! it has been a relief to find someone willing to broach this topic in a gentle, honest, realistic manner. I have a few other books on the topic, but none approach this sensitive subject in this way. Joan Chittister does a nice job in "The Gift of Years," especially on page 98 where she writes:

"Ongoing learning saves the aging from becoming more fossilized than transformed. The problem with aging is not age, it is petrifaction, rigidity of soul, inflexibility. Only ideas keep ideas flowing. When we close our minds to what is new, simply because we decide not to bother with it, we close our minds to our responsibility to ourselves - and to others - to keep on growing."


Lewis Richmond stresses that we each age one breath at a time. That brings me comfort. Bob and I are reading and discussing this book together - over time - gradually. We each have our own issues with this aging thing. May you find peace and comfort as you encounter your own aging process openly.