Publication Date:June 8, 2010 Availability:Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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ISBN13: 9781590307762
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Condition: New
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Product Description In this intimate and funny collection of essays on the sometimes confusing, sometimes poignant, sometimes hilarious condition of being a woman over sixty, Susan Moon keeps her sense of humor and she keeps her reader fully engaged. Among the pieces she has included here are an essay on the gratitude she feels for her weakening bones; observations on finding herself both an orphan and a matriarch following the death of her mother; musings on her tendency to regret the past; thoughts on how not to be afraid of loneliness; appreciation for the inner tomboy; and celebratory advice on how to regard "senior moments" as opportunities to be in the here and now.
Helps navigate the joys and sorrows of agingMay 4, 2010 Niki Collins Queen(Forsyth, Georgia USA) 16 out of 16 found this review helpful
Susan Moon compares her 60s "Consciousness-raising group" to her current Crones Group. The first was to resist and expose sexism the second to accept and realize "This is how it is" and ask, "How can I work with it. The women even found themselves celebrating old age.
Moon says it annoys her when people say, "Even if you're old you can still be young at heart!" for it implies old is bad and young is good. Her heart-warming stories in "This is Getting Old: Zen Thoughts on Aging with Humor and Dignity" artfully demonstrate the beauty and wonder of practicing loving for a long time and being "old at heart."
She says the Japanese call impermanence and imperfection "Wabi-Sabi" where things are worn and frayed and chipped through use. Like the beauty of an earthenware tea bowl they are simple and rustic and show their age. Moon says, "I'm turning wabi-sabi. I study the back of my hand with interest: the blossoming brown spots...I'm my own research project."
To avoid self-depreciation she calls "senior moments" little coffee breaks of the brain; a stop sign on the road of life. She stays calm, lets the engine idle and enjoys the scenery. She says it could even be a leg up toward enlightenment.
Sharing stories from her life she talks about caring for an aging parent, health challenges, depression, fear, loneliness and spending a month alone in the woods.
With insight, humor and wisdom Moon helps us navigate the joys and sorrows of aging with more peace, gratitude, and grace.
Beautiful essaysJune 16, 2010 Reader(Newport, RI USA) 3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is the first time I've read anything by Susan Moon, and I thought that the essays in this book were very well done. I think they would be enjoyed by anyone, not just people interested in Buddhism. (This is, in fact, the one drawback I see to this book - it is being marketed to a narrow audience, but it deserves a far broader readership.) I found the essays to be particularly helpful for those of us who are young but have older friends. We learn to empathize through reading about other people, but it seems that very few novels ever have aging characters. This was the first book I've read that really gave me a sense of what it is like, for instance, to have problems with memory. Or to realize that one has to give up a beloved activity, like hiking, because the knees simply can't take it anymore. Knowing about these things may help me understand my older friends better, and love them as they are more. It also helps me see what life is really like, since our popular culture focuses on eternal youth and never talks about these things, unless it is to make older people the butt of jokes. There certainly is dignity in Moon's essays.
Some essays may be helpful to any person, regardless of age, such as her ruminations on being single, and wondering if her time of intimate relationships is past. I think people of all ages have these concerns when they are single, and it is not just a problem that comes with age. We sometimes read in order to find a mirror in which to see ourselves, to know that we are not alone with our questions, and it was good to see that we are not alone when we wonder about being alone.
The subtitle of this book mentions humor, but this is not exactly a funny book. It certainly has its light moments. But one of the things that I like about Buddhism is that it recognizes suffering, without glossing it over with platitudes. It stares suffering in the face and sees it for what it is. Several of Moon's essays do that. We read, for example, about the death of her mother. It is a sad moment, and there is no reason to make it turn out to be a funny story. We empathize with the author. We feel some of her loss. This is a beautiful moment, even if there is no humor in it. Humor can sometimes help us cope with suffering, but we don't need to cover all of our suffering with laughter.
Moon has a very pleasant writing style. There are Buddhist themes in the book, but people totally unfamiliar with Buddhism can read these essays. I highly recommend this book to the old and young, and I plan to seek out more of Moon's writing after reading this.
Do not deprive yourself of the life you are living now...June 5, 2010 An Educated Consumer(Floral Park, NY) 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Hmmnn..."This is Getting Old" ... Zen thoughts on Aging with Humor and Dignity...
Perusing the first pages on this book on line, the authenticity of a 60 plus woman, coupled with bits of true humor and understanding, I expected a light, enjoyable, funnily self deprecating insight into the aging process.
Susan Moon delivers so much more! And you don't have to be sixtiesh to get it!
Not a help book or a guide book on aging, Susan shares in a well written style, her own life experiences, journeys, happiness, doubts, challenges etc. You are reading her life. What becomes remarkable is that we all have parallels to Susan Moon.
I liked her, laughed out loud, shook my head in understanding, was moved and held my hand to my heart as I read so many words that seemed to penned just for me. I related.
While Susan refers to the challenges of getting older, this seems to be just phrases in comparison to life and living within our own personal selves to realize happiness, contentment, and self worth.
There is an early chapter that speaks of the loss of her mother. In an intensive care unit and eventual palliative care unit before her ultimate death, I could not get over how this very sad sad time mirrored my own just a few months prior.
Friendships, family, love, loss, doubts, challenges and successes...we meet them all here, and we all have a like story to tell.
A strong message...not to dwell on the things you missed, lost, or worries for the future...do not deprive yourself of the life you are living now!
Susan's inherent goodness,resolve and efforts come to the fore in an exceptionally profound read. Remarkably, it was an easy read. Had to slow myself down because I wanted more. I know I will gift (in the strongest sense of word, Susan's word), recommend to many, will reread, and not want to share my copy for what may a very long time.
Full Moon's Zen WisdomJune 10, 2010 Grace Schireson(North Fork, CA USA) 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Susan Moon's latest offering is a deep book and a pleasure to read. I enjoyed it immensely. Her wit did show up, but more than that, what came through was her wisdom. In classic Zen woman style too! Rather than claiming to have mastered all of her foibles, her transparent view and eventual acceptance of the whole enchilada was very moving. In my opinion this is how women teachers differ (generally) from men. Women aging are silly, accessible and failing with dirty hands and tear stained faces rather than remote and elevated masters who have risen above it all. That is our Zen offering as women in my opinion--we accept it all.
I don't think it is such a humorous account of old age, it was sad, poignant and offers reality for all of us. I also liked the author's account of her mom's last hospitalization. The situations we humans have to navigate! It reminded me of my own shepherding of my mom--decisions to do and decisions to not do and the family arguments about it. Also, I loved her sharing her depression, I think that will be a big help to others.
Zen Women: Beyond Tea Ladies, Iron Maidens, and Macho Masters
Poignant Memoir Expressed in EssaysJune 14, 2010 Barbara Anne Atkins(Atlanta, Georgia) 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Reading "This is Getting Old: Zen Thoughts on Aging with Humor and Dignity" was a personal treat for me since the author and i are around the same age and i also have studied Zen Buddhism for years. I enjoyed Susan Moon's honesty. She is an author who is willing to share her deepest thoughts with her reader. In her quest to examine and understand the consequences of aging on both her mind and spirit, Moon reveals an excellent sense of humor and an outstanding wit. Not everyone can reflect upon their struggle with getting older and share their feelings about coping with their decreasing abilities both physical and mental and still find humor in life's ups and downs.
The chapter that moved me the most was the one where Moon writes about her mother's car accident and her consequental death. All types of feelings come up for Moon as she watches her mother deteriorate over time in the hospital. She explains her regrets regarding her interactions with her mother when she was alive and tells the reader how she feels her mother's presence often, even in her dreams.
Readers will also be drawn into the story of author Susan Moon's struggle to overcome depression and the loneliness that accompanies being single in a world where couples dominate. Her writing style is delightful, crisp and consistently clear and the questions Susan Moon asks are spot on and would be asked by most women in their 60's, single or not. Here is an example, "If i lose my memory, will i stop being me, or is there a me beneath the memory?" One can sense Moon's desire to age with dignity and grace and her fortitude in trying to stay fit and sharp. This is a good book to have on your shelf and read more than once! It is well written, covers an important subject....aging... and is filled with wisdom. I highly suggest you consider adding it to your library and if you are a woman who is struggling to find balance in your life as you age, you will find this a delightful read. ( )
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