"Truly Growing Up"

Even though I am Christian, I have always enjoyed studying other religions. I find myself particularly drawn to Zen Buddhism. I found "Taking Our Places: The Buddhist Path to Truly Growing Up" a very thought provoking and timely book for me. The author discusses what it means to truly grow-up, pointing out that just because one gets old doesn't mean they've gained spiritual maturity. I've considered this subject quite a bit since becoming a mother. Here are a few thoughts that I enjoyed from Fischer's book:

"Maybe true maturity is finding a way of keeping questions alive throughout our lifetime. For when there are no more questions, we stop maturing and begin merely to age."

"Each of us has a place in this world. Taking that place, I have come to feel, is our real job as human beings. We are not generic people, we are individuals, and when we appreciate that fact completely and allow ourselves to embrace it and grow into it fully, we see that taking our unique place in this world is the only thing that gives us a sense of ultimate fulfillment."

"Consciously or uncounsciously, every moment you are choosing your life, and that choice is always decisive, never trivial. Your choices always have important consequences for the future, whether you can see them immediately or not."

"Forgiving our parents is an important step in the direction of maturity. It is astonishing how many people fail to take this step, choosing to remain, in effect adolescents throughout their lives. . . Peacemaking never depends on the other person. Peace is made in our own hearts and nowhere else. . . If we are fortunate enough to have our parents' cooperation in the peacmaking effort, so much the better. Bit if not, the work goes on anyway."

"To really love someone is to recognize that they are not us, and that they have needs, aspirations, and lives that do not belong to us and that we cannot control. Can we appreciate and give ourselves to them without fixating on what they will give us in return? Can we allow them their freedom and autonomy? Love like this may be the highest form of the practice of nonposessiveness."

On anger:
"Anger is in the end a marker of our weakness, not of our strength, and this is why it is so useful. . . Anger always flares up precisely in the places where we are most vulnerable. . . Using our anger well, we can pinpoint our weak points, our personal narrowness."

How to Live a Long and Healthy Life

(The short answer to this post is apple cider vinegar, but the long answer is a little more complicated.)

I met a new member of our local church congregation last week. Her name is June and she is an extremely upbeat and energetic 84 year old. When I went to visit her she had been working on her Spanish. She also showed off her large garden and told me about all of the things she still wants to learn. She's proud of the fact that she does all her own gardening and even continues to mow her own lawn. I was amazed when June told me that the only pill she takes is a calcium supplement for her teeth. When I asked June how she manages to stay so healthy, she exclaimed quite simply that she owed her health to the Lord and Apple Cider Vinegar! She then enthusiastically brought out her vinegar and showed how she applies it directly to any aches and pains she may have. My friend, who had been complaining of cracked feet from her own gardening work, came with me to visit June. June told my friend that the vinegar would soften her cracked feet and then took off the girl's shoes and began massaging her soles with the vinegar! (Now that, is service!)

I had to share this story because I have been thinking about June all week. What an amazing woman! My own grandmother is an inspiriation as well. She will be turning 90 this year and is still actively involved in the community. She was recently honored by the Springville Museum of Art for all of her charitable contributions over the last 25 years. She has been purchasing paintings for donation each year and the collection has built up to fill an entire wing of the museum. The picture above shows a James C. Christensen piece that I love from her donations.

My grandma and June have much more than old age in common. They are both farm girls that really know how to work hard. They both do gardening that gives them good exercise. They're actively involved in their communities and churches. They stay social and they keep their minds active by continuous learning. Here's hoping we can all live to such a ripe and happy age!