![]({"https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51qOzOJMafL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg":[229,346],"https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51qOzOJMafL._SX328_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg":[330,499]})
I could use a lot of fluffy words to describe this beautiful book because it is … beautiful.
And yet, I needed this book at this place in time in my life. I had visions and ideas that this book would read like all of the other teaching books of Ram Dass but I was shown wrong.
There is a straight forward, easy to digest approach to this book. Ram narrates this book … rather than teaches and so in some small way, it fell a little short of my expectations.
And yet … it was relatable, sweet, insightful and very relevant. I did find myself skipping over parts because … well, because they just bored me! I guess I don’t have to digest everything Ram has to say and I gave myself permission to jump forward … but only small jumps!
There are very healing nuggets in this book that struck me straight to the core. The first time I pulled out my highlighter pen and my Post-it-note page saver tab, was on page 5; “But now I’m learning to take my healing into my own hands. Healing is not the same as curing, after all; healing does not mean going back to the way things were before, but rather allowing what is now to move us closer to God”.
Straight away … reality check!!! How many of us are trying to get back to some place that felt a hell of a lot more comfortable than it does currently?! There’s no going back, only allowing grace to show us a path forward from this moment. I was broadsided by this revelation … broadsided!
There’s a gentle nudge to keep moving and Ram Dass is right along there with us. Pain, physical and emotional, is at the base of this book. With that being said, it's not a book of gloom and doom but rather a path of honoring and relinquishing old ways ... accepting a process. Aging is a process and if you’re like me, it’s a deep descent into the unknown black and murky waters. There’s no rule book to follow and each path is so different because each of us is so different and yet, Ram touches some place in all of us.
I came to appreciate the space I’m in and the path I will follow. I’m learning how to ‘Allow’ the process rather than fight it and to honor the changes. The thing about changes is it’s an endless, never ceasing opportunity to judge because we don’t understand it. It can be frightening to not know what is happening and what is coming and Ram will invite you to settle in and allow, love and appreciate the vast opportunity to draw closer to God. He offers his insights that he has gleaned from his own experiences and he will offer stories of those he was associated with or close to. I appreciate the stories because with each story, I found a piece of myself which always offered a moment of healing.
I found this book to be very healing for me. I could relate to so much in this book and Ram’s own experiences. On page 185, “Before I had the stroke, I was full of fears about aging, and one of my major fears was about the sicknesses that might be lurking ahead. Gandhi says that before you can get to God, you’ve got to confront your fears.”
I realize that not everyone is trying to get to God. There are those who have been on a path or are currently on a path to discover who they think they are … not so much who they think God is and yet, we’re all trying to get to that place of joy and peace. Whatever path we are taking, aging will enrich it, magnify it and draw us closer to all that we seek. It’s the judgments we attach to the process that mess us up.
I may pick this book up again in another 5 or so years when I forget or when I am looking for some nourishment to help me digest the impeding changes. Sometimes I want to stay young forever because there is innocence in the lack of wisdom and yet, understanding what I understand now is quite delicious and soul satisfying. It’s a rite of passage to age and if I can settle in, release the judgments and tap into the wisdom that is being imparted at each moment, there is a whole new life awaiting me.
Welcome to the aging process.
- Paperback: 206 pages
- Publisher: Riverhead Books; Reissue edition (June 1, 2001)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1573228710
- ISBN-13: 978-1573228718
- Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.2 inches
- Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
- Average Customer Review: 157 customer reviews
-
Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#176,991 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #97 in Gerontology Social Sciences
- #779 in Aging (Books)
- #2413 in Happiness Self-Help
Would you like to tell us about a lower price?
If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support?
If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support?
