Ripening Time

Some readers may remember Sherry Anderson as the co-author of The Cultural Creatives with Paul Ray. Here she writes reflectively on the process of ageing with grace as she looks back on her own life in her early 70s and forwards to the harvest implied. She weaves her own story and those of others into an engaging narrative that includes some of her travels and conferences. The structure of the book reflects the process of life and maturation itself. We need to clear obstacles, cultivate certain qualities, become ripe and reap the harvest. As Rilke suggests, the important thing is to live the questions, especially relating to being shaped and transformed by our own experience. Although written mainly from a feminine perspective, her husband Paul makes frequent appearances in the narrative. Life unfurls as an adventure at any age and it is important to question traditional beliefs about ageing in the process. Being becomes more important than doing and having, and one of the tasks of the elder is to become a healing and loving presence. I have met very few sweet and ripe individuals in my time, but their very presence is a blessing and a precious gift. One very good piece of advice comes from an 80-year-old woman who said that it is important to contact the depth in ourselves and find our connection with the universal ground. The result of all this can be what she calls a wholehearted humanness. The book provides many insightful pointers towards this state.