3 Books that Have Influenced My Life (cw)

     I've Decided to Live 120 Years

Vicki, I was so glad you recommended Ilchi Lee’s I’ve Decided to Live 120 Years! It’s a third culture I’ve come across which speaks of 120 years as the normal potential for human life. This is some background on my introduction to that thinking.

      Knowing at a deep level that it was a pilgrimage ~ in a letter written a year later I called it a “sacred journey ~ as you already know, I drove alone, in 1988, down the highway from Alaska in our little motor-home. My children had left home and I realized I’d never lived alone for I’d “gone from mother’s arms to husband’s arms” while my mother’s grieving Dad’s death caused me to realize I needed to find out how to be alone. 

      Could I do it?

Voices of Our Ancestors

    Sometime during that eight-day time of exploration, realizations, doubt and frustrations, joy, fear and testing, I also finished reading a book called Voices of Our Ancestors by a traditional Cherokee woman, Dhyani Ywaho, And, during that journey I consciously decided to seek congruity, the wisdom to become an adult that the Tsalagi (Cherokee) teach. Their teaching is our normal life span is 127 years. At about fifty, after a person has raised their children, one either consciously chooses to become an adult or we begin to die. I decided to choose "Sophia", wise, with the Creator's help, womanhood. I may never achieve wisdom, but it gave me a goal to reach for ~ becoming a wise old crone.

From Age-ing to Sage-ing

      Many years later I stumbled on a book written by a rabbi sharing the Hebrew belief of a complete life being 120 years (From Age-ing to Sage-ing by Zalman Schacter-Shalomi and Ronald S. Miller) The book is about the needed role in our society for wise, mentoring elders sharing their passions to help our societies become more balanced, respecting all of life and our beautiful earth.

        And now, Ilchi Lee’s practical words of advice from the eastern tradition is helping me to again look at how I wish to travel this part of my life, this period of completion.

"Challanging Cultural Legacies" by Karin

The two of you have truly been an inspiration to me (as daughter to Vicki and cousin to Carol). I’ve watched you both emerging courageously from the emotional devastation and physical exhaustion from care-taking your dying, life-long husbands, to find new meaning and rebuild your lives with determination, strength, and verve. I’m beside myself to see you sharing your thoughts, experiences, and ongoing journeys on this platform.

In wrapping up the final touches in my book for publication, I landed on the concept of reinventing cultural legacies, which is actually what I see you both doing here. Our culture is due for an overhaul of the legacy of old age (a category the two of you seem to defy, only because of the lingering deficiencies of the current model). Also, because of the fact that spouses are roughly 20% (60% for care-giving spouses) more likely to die soon after their mates, that tells me that a forum for connection and support at this overwhelming time of life will be a boon (possibly even a life saver) to a great many people. 

I will definitely be paying attention to what transpires here. I know how much you both have to offer.

Stay Well, Karin Wares

I’m still thinking of purpose (vw)

 … and I loved your inspiring story, Carol, of the “elderly letter writer.” Sweet! … draws me back to The Book of Joy by Desmond Tutu and Tenzin Gyatso (Dalai Lama) with Douglas Abrams which I listed on our favorite readings profile. I think of my own precious aunt, Abba, who sent beautiful cards and loving notes to distanced family and friends. She was probably one of the most joyful and generous persons I have ever known.

 I love the synergy that always seems to arise from action

 This morning a pop-up occurred when I blasted off into the internet. I want to pass it along because it reiterates the advice you shared in one of our conversations about “taking the first steps.” Steve Jobs confirms it beautifully. Aren’t you the wise woman? You’re in good company!

 https://getpocket.com/explore/item/steve-jobs-said-1-thing-separates-successful-people-from-everyone-else-and-will-make-all-the?utm_source=pocket-newtab

 This concept is so motivating -  that I don’t need to define my goal to begin my journey! I have a little note card posted on my fridge that gives me a nudge and a chuckle every time I see it:

“You can’t make footprints in the sands of time if you’re sitting on your butt. And who wants to make buttprints in the sands of time?” Thank you, Bob Moawad!

Beginnings - CW Response to Anonymous

It’s fun, “Anonymous”, to respond to your comment for both Vicki and I hope that conversations with people develop in blog.

 It is my deep belief that we all come to this life with gifts and a primary task of our lives is to learn about, then find, ways of sharing all the gifts we bring. We all have gifts ~ we all have a purpose! We are called to seek, to discover those gifts then share them with the world. It may be the ability to be a friend, to garden, to be an artist, a doctor, or a janitor ~ but to be one who loves their work no matter what it is. That we all have many gifts and to share them is why we are born needs to be taught to everyone, old and young!!! Instead, too often, we are taught to find ways to make a living.

 If we don’t discover our gifts, how can we know how to follow our bliss?

 As author and practical mystic, Kathleen Norris writes: “I began to see each one of us as a treasure bearer carrying our souls like a great blessing through the world.”

 This belief has been one which has grown from my own struggles from younger adulthood to the present. It really took root when I lived in Alaska. Living in Alaska was a wonderful thing ~ a blessed time. It opened me to new experiences and to new realities, to come to realize that the energy of life, of my life, is sheer potentiality. Now I look for ways to share those beliefs.