Tricycle | Awake in the World

We're discussing Susan Moon's new book, This is Getting Old: Zen Thoughts on Aging with Humor and Dignity, at the Tricycle Community Book Club this week. You can also listen to an interview with the author before moving on to the discussion. Bodhipaksa (known online for, among other things, his Fake Buddha Quotes) calls Susan Moon "one of Buddhism's funniest writers."

Moon is the former editor of Turning Wheel and author of the comic cult classic The Life and Letters of Tofu Roshi. Her new book deals with everything from caring for her aged mother to going on camping trips with her children to the difficulties of sitting zazen as we age in this tender and moving account of a life lived, aging and all.

Much of it is simultaneously poignant and funny. For example:

I'm learning to meet my most intimate needs without a significant other now. I keep a long-handled bamboo backscratcher on my bedside table. I've named it "My Husband." It's like having my cake and eating it, too—I'm getting those hard-to-reach places between the shoulder blades scratched without having to pick up anyone else's socks.

Discuss Susan Moon's This is Getting Old here—you'll need to join the Book Club on the Tricycle Community, but it's easy—and free.

Book Club members can receive a generous 30% discount on the book and free shipping in the US through our friends at Shambhala Publications. Order your book here and type in the sales code: OLDBONES. This offer ends 6/30.