Awake at the Bedside, edited by Koshin Paley Ellison and Matt Weingast, is an excellent collection of articles, stories and poems on the topic of contemplative palliative and end of life care. It is highly readable and very inspiring, giving a deep insight into the issues surrounding a field that one day will involve all of us, for as this book reminds us, we will all die. It became clear to me from reading this, that the way the contributors are approaching end of life care should be the way we approach all care, that is with healing and care for all aspects of our being - physical emotional and spiritual. The vision of a world where such care is the norm is an inspiring one indeed. I recommend this not only to caregivers and those who have a loved one drawing close to the end of their life, but also to every one. Book Description Thought leaders in the field of contemplative caregiving offer resilience, wisdom, and freedom for those who keep watch at the bedside. How do … [Read more...]
Don’t live your life as if you were never going to die.
Everyone dies. We all know it, but most of us live our lives as if we were going to live forever. What's wrong with that? You might ask. Nothing, except that you might waste your life and, for sure, you'll miss a great deal of the beauty and joy that comes from truly appreciating life. Contemplating on death is an important part of the Buddhist spiritual path. You might think that living in awareness of the fact that you could die at any moment would be a miserable mind state, but in fact, the opposite is true. When you're aware of the inevitability of death, you don't take anything, or anyone, for granted. You don't miss the beauty and joy in a single moment, and you don't let sadness and pain get you down because you know it won't last. Contemplating on the fact that you could die at any moment - accidents happen and the people they happen to never thought it I would happen to them either - also helps sort out your priorities. When you ask what will be important at the moment of … [Read more...]
YA metaphysical fiction: The Huaca by Marcia Mickelson
The Huaca Marcia Mickelson Sweetwater, Cedar Fort, Inc. Young adult urban fantasy. This young adult novel, though categorised as urban fantasy, is more like contemporary fiction in that the fantasy aspect is minimal and, rather than a story of magic and supernatural powers, it is primarily a study of a girl whose life has changed traumatically, and is still changing. And since the fantasy element is based on an Inca myth about the nature of life after death, the story can most correctly be described as metaphysical fiction. Ellie's mother was murdered six months ago. Her father looks after her well, clearly loves her dearly, but won't talk about her mother. Her best friend has become distant. They've been growing apart for a while now, and the unravelling of their friendship as Ellie chooses to make her own decisions, rather than those that will satisfy her friend, makes up a large part of the first portion of the book. This dying friendship doesn't actually have anything to do … [Read more...]
