The grace in aging Awaken as you grow older

Death and aging are things that happens to someone else; at least, that is what we tell ourselves. The energy expended denying the inevitable, maintains Singh, a psychotherapist and Dharma practitioner, can be applied in more useful ways, such as joyously living in the present moment. Singh calls death a naturally transformative experience. There is something undeniably powerful and sacred, she writes, in either being a witness to another's dying or being the one in the process of coming close to death. Aging, on the other hand, is imperceptible and, therefore, lacks the urgency of the dying process. Wise, thoughtful, and compelling insights are filtered through a soothing Buddhist perspective. Interspersed with poetry from the likes of Wendell Berry, Thomas Merton, and Anne Lamott, the book addresses such topics as suffering, mortality, solitude, forgiveness, and humility. A bracing but gentle wake-up call for baby boomers, and indeed, anyone who wishes to understand and come to terms with the aging process and the universal impermanence of life itself.--Sawyers, June Copyright 2014 Booklist